Horizontal Inequalities and Ethnonationalist Civil War: A Global Comparison

Socioeconomic Inequalities and Attitudes toward Violence: A Test with New Survey Data in the Niger Delta

“…However, the two models indicate two different curvilinear patterns, so no conclusion can be made based on this. This result does not resemble the general findings in Cederman et al (2011) that there is a parabolic relationship. However, the relationship described by Cederman et al may not be evident in this study because the two studies are quite different in both size and what is being tested.…”

“…The results in this article do not give immediate support to the findings by Cederman et al (2011), who find that Hi increases the risk of civil war; the results in this study are not one-directional. Nonetheless, while they are only valid for the states that are included in the sample, they do show an interesting trend and underscore that the relationship between HI and conflict is not as straightforward as the Cederman et al (2011) study suggest.…”

“…Using household surveys that measure assets and provide information on the ethnic affiliation and geographical location of the respondent, both Østby (2008) and Østby et al (2009) find that HI increases the risk of conflict in Africa; the latter article also finds that this is particularly true for regions with valuable natural resources. Cederman, Weidmann, and Gleditsch (2011) confirm these findings when analyzing a global data set of HI and ethnic groups. Further, through a thorough study of the political and economic exclusion of ethnic groups, Cederman et al (2013) find that HI increases the risk of civil war.…”

“…The main deviation is that the Ijaws seem to perceive themselves as worse off compared others in the Afrobarometer (see Figure A1 in the appendix). However, when I compare my survey data with the data from Cederman et al (2011), it is clear that the Ijaws are relatively better off than other groups, as suggested also by my AWI data. As one could expect, the overlap is not perfect, but correlations are big enough to give validation to my data.…”

Food Insecurity and Conflict Dynamics: Causal Linkages and Complex Feedbacks

“…Acute food insecurity can increase social grievances, providing a motive for engaging in rebellion. Rebellion is generally more likely in societies characterized by large horizontal inequalities across regions and ethnic groups (Østby 2008, Østby, Nordås and Rød 2009, Cederman, Weidmann and Gleditsch 2011, Stewart 2010. These grievances may become particularly serious when government responses to food insecurity are politicized and relief funds are diverted to other uses.…”