The Political Conditions for Local Peacemaking: A Comparative Study of Communal Conflict Resolution in Kenya

Elfversson, Emma

doi:10.1177/0010414019830734

Cited by 12 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 43 publications

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“…Nonetheless, disputes over land tenure can turn violent. For example biased local politics have been shown to negatively influence informal conflict resolution mechanisms (Boone, 2014;Lund, 2008;Brosché, 2014;Elfversson, 2019). show how pastoralists in Tanzania bribed police which eventually turned farmers towards financing their own militia.…”

Section: Previous Literaturementioning

confidence: 99%

“…On the other hand, states are more likely to intervene if communal conflicts are about the control of land and if the government is ethnically tied to the disputed areas (Elfversson, 2015). This also relates to government biases which can create unclear boundaries and hamper the ability to settle conflict (Elfversson, 2019), which can ultimately drive conflict escalation (Brosché, 2014). Whereas shocks in food prices have not been shown to be linked to communal conflict (Buhaug, Benjaminsen, Sjaastad, & Theisen, 2015), non-state conflict is more likely in the wake of regime changes (Kreutz & Eck, 2011), or with high levels of inequality among individuals or ethnic groups (Fjelde & Østby, 2014).…”

Section: Previous Literaturementioning

confidence: 99%

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Come rain, or come wells: How access to groundwater affects communal violence

Döring

2020

Political Geography

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This paper empirically analyzes the relationship between groundwater scarcity and incidences of communal violence. Case studies suggest that appropriating water is more likely when resource scarcities are not effectively mitigated and where property rights are disputed. Yet, covering water more broadly remains piecemeal in quantitative research on communal conflict. While water scarcity features in large-N literature on climate variability and non-state conflicts, such studies rely heavily on rainfall data which covers only one aspect of the hydrological cycle. Employing precipitation data alone neglects the use of groundwater, an important factor for drought resilience and the source for 50% of global drinking water. While rainfall remains key for agriculture, pastoralists and small-scale farmers in particular rely on groundwater as a buffer during dry periods. Thus, analyses on water scarcity and conflict ought to combine measures for groundwater, surface water, and precipitation. While controlling for other sources of water, the lack of groundwater access is hypothesized to increase incidences of violent communal conflict. The effect of groundwater on communal violence is also argued to vary with the presence of drought, low rainfall, in densely populated areas, and with state presence. These propositions are tested through large-N analyses using previously not utilized data on water availability with incidence data on violent conflict for Africa and the Middle East (1990-2014). The results show that lacking access to groundwater is associated with a higher risk of communal violence. Further, the effect of groundwater access on communal violence is conditioned by precipitation levels as well as population density. The results also suggest that the effect of groundwater on violence is smaller in areas with higher state presence.

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Section: Previous Literaturementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Previous Literaturementioning

confidence: 99%

Come rain, or come wells: How access to groundwater affects communal violence

Döring

2020

Political Geography

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“…While their study focuses on national peace processes following civil war, the cases they analyse also include distinct local conflicts, the implications of which we believe are applicable to local power sharing intended to address communal conflicts. The argument that national politics condition the prospect of local conflict resolution resonates with research on communal conflicts that shows local actors have difficulty making peace if their agreement is not in line with the interests of the central elites (Brosché, 2014;Elfversson, 2019).…”

Section: The Possibilities and Limitations Of Political Power Sharingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Do Local Power-Sharing Deals Reduce Ethnopolitical Hostility? The Effects of ‘Negotiated Democracy’ in a Devolved Kenya

Elfversson

Sjögren

2019

Ethnopolitics

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How do local power-sharing arrangements affect levels of ethnopolitical hostility? The introduction of decentralisation in contexts previously marked by communal conflict underscores the need to assess local power-sharing mechanisms. However, existing literature on power-sharing has mainly examined national-level arrangements. In this article we contribute to the literature on decentralisation and ethnopolitical conflict by analysing two conflict-affected cases in Kenya. We find that local power sharing in Nakuru made intercommunal relations less hostile than in Uasin Gishu, where no such arrangement was present. The introduction and effects of local power sharing, however, is highly conditioned by national politics.

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“…Seasonal migrant fishers are common and cross international boundaries in search of fish (Wanyoni et al, 2016). Ethnical conflict follows competition for natural resources (pasture, freshwater, fish) particularly during droughts (WIOMSA, 2011;Elfversson, 2019). Conflict resolution models motivated for political and religious reasons occur throughout the WIO, but were not addressed in this SI.…”

Section: Bons Sinais Estuary (Fig 6)mentioning

confidence: 99%

A regional assessment of seasonal-to-decadal changes in estuarine socio-ecological systems in the Western Indian Ocean

Groeneveld

Santos²,

MacKay³

et al. 2021

West Ind. Oc. J Mar. Sci.

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Estuarine socio-ecological systems (SES) in the Western Indian Ocean (WIO) region face mounting pressures from overexploitation, habitat degradation, impacts of climate change and governance inadequacies. A regional assessment of seasonal-to-decadal change in SES of three estuaries (Bons Sinais in Mozambique, Ruvu in Tanzania and Tana in Kenya) was undertaken along 2000 km of tropical coastline (3°-18°S), using a systems-oriented approach and information collected during the Estuarize-WIO project (2016-2019). All three estuaries were open and tidal, but differed along gradients of geomorphology, annual precipitation, exposure to tropical storms, drought, sea level rise, and rural to urban development. Despite physical differences, similar marine species, mangrove assemblages, seasonality in fish-based farming systems and cultivated crops, and fishing methods were apparent across the region. Key differences were related to the scale of anthropogenic disturbance, discerned from land use / land cover (LULC) change analysis, which showed decadal increases in developed-, cultivated- and grasslands, at the expense of wetlands and forests, and seasonal transformation of wetlands to agriculture and grasslands. The three estuaries represented a gradient along urban-production-conservation dimensions, brought about by rural to urban transformation, and by freshwater and sediment diversion for economic development in upstream catchment areas. Household surveys indicated strongly seasonal livelihood strategies, with highest diversity in peri-urban settings, and reliance on different combinations of ecosystem goods and services in coastal and upstream rural settings. Estuarine fisheriesranged from unselective, low trophic-level fisheries using fine-mesh nets at the urbanized and most-disturbed Bons Sinais Estuary, to a more complex organized fishery at the least-disturbed Tana. At Ruvu, fisheries and agriculture production exit the system to distant markets. The systems-oriented approach demonstrated that human-induced processes affected WIO estuaries and dependent livelihoods more deeply than inherent physical differences. A key conclusion is that research, management and governance will benefit from regional cooperation, given the similarities of the systems and the different levels of disturbance.

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The Political Conditions for Local Peacemaking: A Comparative Study of Communal Conflict Resolution in Kenya

Cited by 12 publications

References 43 publications

Come rain, or come wells: How access to groundwater affects communal violence

Come rain, or come wells: How access to groundwater affects communal violence

Do Local Power-Sharing Deals Reduce Ethnopolitical Hostility? The Effects of ‘Negotiated Democracy’ in a Devolved Kenya

A regional assessment of seasonal-to-decadal changes in estuarine socio-ecological systems in the Western Indian Ocean

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