This file is part of IDEAS, which uses RePEc data


[ Papers | Articles | Software | Books | Chapters | Authors | Institutions | JEL Classification | NEP reports | Search | New papers by email | Author registration | Rankings | Volunteers | FAQ | Blog | Help! ]

On the Theory of Ethnic Conflict

Author info | Abstract | Publisher info | Download info | Related research | Statistics
Author Info
Francesco Caselli
Wilbur John Coleman II

Additional information is available for the following registered author(s):

Abstract

We present a theory of ethnic conflict in which coalitions formed along ethnic lines competefor the economy's resources. The role of ethnicity is to enforce coalition membership: inethnically homogeneous societies members of the losing coalition can defect to the winners atlow cost, and this rules out conflict as an equilibrium outcome. We derive a number ofimplications of the model relating social, political, and economic indicators such as theincidence of conflict, the distance among ethnic groups, group sizes, income inequality, andexpropriable resources.

Download Info
To download:

If you experience problems downloading a file, check if you have the proper application to view it first. Information about this may be contained in the File-Format links below. In case of further problems read the IDEAS help file. Note that these files are not on the IDEAS site. Please be patient as the files may be large.

File URL: http://cep.lse.ac.uk/pubs/download/dp0732.pdf
File Format: application/pdf
File Function:
Download Restriction: no

Publisher Info
Paper provided by Centre for Economic Performance, LSE in its series CEP Discussion Papers with number dp0732.

Download reference. The following formats are available: HTML, plain text, BibTeX, RIS (EndNote), ReDIF
Length:
Date of creation: Jul 2006
Date of revision:
Handle: RePEc:cep:cepdps:dp0732

Contact details of provider:
Web page: http://cep.lse.ac.uk/pubs/

For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its listing, contact: ().

Related research
Keywords: ethnic distance exploitation

Other versions of this item:

Find related papers by JEL classification:
P48 - Economic Systems - - Other Economic Systems - - - Other Economic Systems: Political Economy; Legal Institutions; Property Rights
Q34 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Nonrenewable Resources and Conservation - - - Natural Resources and Domestic and International Conflicts
Z13 - Other Special Topics - - Cultural Economics - - - Social Norms and Social Capital; Social Networks Economic Anthropology

This paper has been announced in the following NEP Reports:

References listed on IDEAS
Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.:
  1. Grossman, Herschel I, 1999. "Kleptocracy and Revolutions," Oxford Economic Papers, Oxford University Press, vol. 51(2), pages 267-83, April.
  2. Jose G. Montalvo & Marta Reynal-Querol, 2005. "Ethnic Polarization, Potential Conflict, and Civil Wars," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 95(3), pages 796-816, June. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  3. Dimitriy Gershenson & Herschel I. Grossman, 1999. "Civil Conflict: Ended Or Never Ending?," Working Papers 99-31, Brown University, Department of Economics. [Downloadable!]
  4. Hirshleifer, Jack, 1995. "Anarchy and Its Breakdown," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 103(1), pages 26-52, February. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  5. Acemoglu, Daron & Johnson, Simon & Robinson, James A, 2002. "An African Success Story: Botswana," CEPR Discussion Papers 3219, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  6. Eli Berman, 1998. "Sect, Subsidy, and Sacrifice: An Economist's View of Ultra-Orthodox Jews," NBER Working Papers 6715, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  7. Enrico Spolaore & Romain Wacziarg, 2006. "The Diffusion of Development," NBER Working Papers 12153, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  8. Alberto Alesina & Eliana La Ferrara, 2000. "Participation In Heterogeneous Communities," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, MIT Press, vol. 115(3), pages 847-904, August. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  9. Alberto Alesina & Arnaud Devleeschauwer & William Easterly & Sergio Kurlat & Romain Wacziarg, 2002. "Fractionalization," Harvard Institute of Economic Research Working Papers 1959, Harvard - Institute of Economic Research. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  10. Esteban, Joan & Ray, Debraj, 1994. "On the Measurement of Polarization," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 62(4), pages 819-51, July. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  11. Easterly, William & Levine, Ross, 1997. "Africa's Growth Tragedy: Policies and Ethnic Divisions," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, MIT Press, vol. 112(4), pages 1203-50, November.
    Other versions:
  12. Esteban, Joan & Ray, Debraj, 1999. "Conflict and Distribution," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 87(2), pages 379-415, August. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  13. Eli Berman, 2003. "Hamas, Taliban and the Jewish Underground: An Economist's View of Radical Religious Militias," NBER Working Papers 10004, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  14. Alberto Alesina & Eliana La Ferrara, 2004. "Ethnic Diversity and Economic Performance," NBER Working Papers 10313, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  15. McDermott, John, 1997. " Exploitation and Growth," Journal of Economic Growth, Springer, vol. 2(3), pages 251-78, September. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  16. Edward L. Glaeser, 2005. "The Political Economy of Hatred," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, MIT Press, vol. 120(1), pages 45-86, January.
    Other versions:
  17. Alesina, Alberto & Baqir, Reza & Easterly, William, 1999. "Public goods and ethnic divisions," Policy Research Working Paper Series 2108, The World Bank. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  18. José Garcia Montalvo & Marta Reynal-Querol, 2004. "Ethnic Polarization, Potential Conflict, and Civil Wars," Economics Working Papers 770, Department of Economics and Business, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, revised Mar 2005. [Downloadable!]
  19. Azam, J.P., 2001. "The Redistributive State and Conflicts in Africa," Working Papers Series 2001-3, Centre for the Study of African Economies, University of Oxford.
  20. Guiso, Luigi & Sapienza, Paola & Zingales, Luigi, 2005. "Cultural Biases in Economic Exchange," CEPR Discussion Papers 4837, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  21. Collier, Paul & Hoeffler, Anke, 2000. "Greed and grievance in civil war," Policy Research Working Paper Series 2355, The World Bank. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  22. Grossman, Herschel I, 1991. "A General Equilibrium Model of Insurrections," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 81(4), pages 912-21, September. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
Full references

Cited by:
(explanations, Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.)

  1. Jose G. Montalvo & Marta Reynal-Querol, 2005. "Ethnic Polarization, Potential Conflict, and Civil Wars," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 95(3), pages 796-816, June. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  2. Dominic Rohner, 2008. "Reputation, Group Structure and Social Tensions," HiCN Working Papers 40, Households in Conflict Network. [Downloadable!]
  3. Justin Lifu Lin, 2004. "Development Strategies for Inclusive Growth in Developing Asia," Development Economics Working Papers 444, East Asian Bureau of Economic Research. [Downloadable!]
  4. Haimanko, Ori & Le Breton, Michel & Weber, Shlomo, 2005. "The Stability Threshold and Two Facts of Polarization," CEPR Discussion Papers 5098, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  5. Gerard Padro i Miquel, 2006. "The Control of Politicians in Divided Societies: The Politics of Fear," NBER Working Papers 12573, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  6. Benjamin Bridgman, . "Multiethnic Democracy," Departmental Working Papers 2004-02, Department of Economics, Louisiana State University. [Downloadable!]
  7. Enrico Spolaore & Romain Wacziarg, 2006. "The Diffusion of Development," NBER Working Papers 12153, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  8. Benjamin Bridgman, 2008. "What Does the Atlas Narodov Mira Measure?," Economics Bulletin, Economics Bulletin, vol. 10(6), pages 1-8. [Downloadable!]
  9. Smeets, Valérie & Ierulli, Kathryn & Gibbs, Michael, 2006. "Mergers of Equals & Unequals," Working Papers 06-8, University of Aarhus, Aarhus School of Business, Department of Economics. [Downloadable!]
  10. Marie-Anne Valfort, 2007. "Containing ethnic conflicts through ethical voting? Evidence from Ethiopia," HiCN Working Papers 35, Households in Conflict Network. [Downloadable!]
  11. Edward L. Glaeser, 2002. "The Political Economy of Hatred," NBER Working Papers 9171, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  12. Walter Bossert & Conchita D’Ambrosio & Eliana Laferrara, . "A Generalized Index of Fractionalization," Working Papers 313, IGIER (Innocenzo Gasparini Institute for Economic Research), Bocconi University. [Downloadable!]
  13. Gradstein, Mark & Schiff, Maurice, 2004. "The Political Economy of Social Exclusion with Implications for Immigration Policy," IZA Discussion Papers 1087, Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA). [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  14. Joan Esteban & Debraj Ray, 2007. "A Model of Ethnic Conflict," UFAE and IAE Working Papers 701.07, Unitat de Fonaments de l'Anàlisi Econòmica (UAB) and Institut d'Anàlisi Econòmica (CSIC). [Downloadable!]
  15. HAIMANKO, Ori & LE BRETON, Michel & WEBER, Shlomo, 2005. "The Stability Threshold and Two Facets of Polarization," IDEI Working Papers 366, Institut d'Économie Industrielle (IDEI), Toulouse. [Downloadable!]
  16. Benjamin Bridgman, . "Why Are Ethnically Divided Countries Poor?," Departmental Working Papers 2003-11, Department of Economics, Louisiana State University. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  17. Rohner, D., 2006. "Information, Reputation and Ethnic Conflict," Cambridge Working Papers in Economics 0658, Faculty of Economics, University of Cambridge. [Downloadable!]
  18. Patricia Justino, 2007. "Carrot or stick? Redistributive transfers versus policing in contexts of civil unrest," HiCN Working Papers 33, Households in Conflict Network. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  19. Wick, Katharina, 2007. "Conflict and Production: An Application to Natural Resources," Proceedings of the German Development Economics Conference, Göttingen 2007 34, Verein für Socialpolitik, Research Committee Development Economics. [Downloadable!]
  20. Alberto Alesina & Arnaud Devleeschauwer & William Easterly & Sergio Kurlat & Romain Wacziarg, 2003. "Fractionalization," NBER Working Papers 9411, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
Statistics
Access and download statistics

Did you know? IDEAS is not the only service displaying RePEc data. Choose on RePEc which service fits your needs best.

This page was last updated on 2008-8-19.

This information is provided to you by IDEAS at the Department of Economics, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, University of Connecticut using RePEc data on a server sponsored by the Society for Economic Dynamics.