The first article in this general issue explores the role of education in promoting social cohesion in post-conflict societies. Based on a literature review, interviews and original data from a survey of all secondary schools in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Taro Komatsu investigates the role – both actual and potential – of decentralisation reforms in promoting social cohesion. The survey and interview data were collected from school directors and focused heavily on the relationship between school management and local school boards. This study has considerable international relevance, as the decentralisation approach has been pursued in many post-conflict societies, including those of Cambodia, Rwanda and South Africa. The great advantage, at least in theory, of decentralised education in such a context is that it has the potential, in the words of the author, “to depoliticise education from the bottom up, improve inter-ethnic relations in communities and increase trust between civilians an ...