| Inequality and ethnic conflict in Sub-Saharan Africa |
| Authors: |
Ludovico Alcorta, Jeroen Smits, and Haley J. Swedlund |
| Source: |
Social Forces, 97(2): 769–792; DOI: 10.1093/sf/soy049 |
| Topic(s): |
Ethnicity
Inequality
|
| Country: |
Africa
Multiple African Countries
|
| Published: |
DEC 2018 |
| Abstract: |
Theories of ethnic conflict predict that between-group inequality should be associated
with a greater likelihood of violent conflict, but empirical results have
been mixed. One reason might be that different types of inequalities have
opposing effects on the likelihood of conflict. In this article, we posit that educational
inequalities are likely to incentivize collective action by inducing grievances, while
economic and demographic inequalities may actually dis-incentivize collective action
by limiting opportunities for disadvantaged groups to engage in rebellion. We test
these hypotheses on a new ethnic dyad database, incorporating 1,548 dyads formed
by 290 ethnic groups living in 29 Sub-Saharan African countries. The analysis reveals
that educational inequalities are indeed positively associated with conflict incidence,
while this is not the case for economic and demographic inequalities. The association
between educational inequality and conflict is stronger if the groups are wealthier.
A higher joint educational level of the groups is associated with less conflict,
particularly under more autocratic regimes. These findings demonstrate that to better
understand the relationship between inequality and conflict, it is important to disaggregate
the effects of inequalities according to the underlying mechanisms and the
political context with which they are associated. |
|