We develop a theory of interstate conflict in which the degree of genealogical relatedness between populations has a positive effect on their conflict propensities because more closely related populations, on average, tend to interact more and develop more disputes over sets of common issues. We examine the empirical relationship between the occurrence of interstate conflicts and the degree of relatedness between countries, showing that populations that are genetically closer are more prone to go to war with each other, even after controlling for a wide set of measures of geographic distance and other factors that affect conflict, including measures of trade and democracy.
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
page. Note that these files are not on the IDEAS
site. Please be patient as the files may be large.
As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to look for a different version under "Related research" (further below) or search for a different version of it.
Publisher Info
Paper provided by National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc in its series NBER Working Papers with number
15095.
Length: Date of creation: Jun 2009 Date of revision: Handle: RePEc:nbr:nberwo:15095
Note: POL Contact details of provider: Postal: National Bureau of Economic Research, 1050 Massachusetts Avenue Cambridge, MA 02138, U.S.A. Phone: 617-868-3900 Email: Web page: http://www.nber.org More information through EDIRC
For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its listing, contact: ().
Find related papers by JEL classification: F51 - International Economics - - International Relations and International Political Economy - - - International Conflicts; Negotiations; Sanctions F52 - International Economics - - International Relations and International Political Economy - - - National Security; Economic Nationalism F54 - International Economics - - International Relations and International Political Economy - - - Colonialism; Imperialism; Postcolonialism F55 - International Economics - - International Relations and International Political Economy - - - International Institutional Arrangements F59 - International Economics - - International Relations and International Political Economy - - - Other H56 - Public Economics - - National Government Expenditures and Related Policies - - - National Security and War N10 - Economic History - - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics; Growth and Fluctuations - - - General, International, or Comparative
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.:
Gregory D. Hess & Athanasios Orphanides, 2001.
"War and Democracy,"
Journal of Political Economy,
University of Chicago Press, vol. 109(4), pages 776-810, August.
[Downloadable!] (restricted)
Other versions:
DESMET, Klaus & LE BRETON, Michel & ORTUNO-ORTIN, Ignacio & WEBER, Shlomo, 2006.
"Nation formation and genetic diversity,"
CORE Discussion Papers
2006095, Université catholique de Louvain, Center for Operations Research and Econometrics (CORE).
[Downloadable!]
Wacziarg, Romain & Alesina, Alberto & Devleeschauwer, Arnaud & Easterly, William & Kurlat, Sergio, 2002.
"Fractionalization,"
Research Papers
1744, Stanford University, Graduate School of Business.
[Downloadable!]
Alberto Alesina & Arnaud Devleeschauwer & William Easterly & Sergio Kurlat & Romain Wacziarg, 2003.
"Fractionalization,"
NBER Working Papers
9411, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
[Downloadable!] (restricted)
Michelle R. Garfinkel & Stergios Skaperdas, 2006.
"Economics of Conflict: An Overview,"
Working Papers
050623, University of California-Irvine, Department of Economics, revised Sep 2006.
[Downloadable!]
Other versions:
Matthew O. Jackson & Massimo Morelli, 2007.
"Political Bias and War,"
American Economic Review,
American Economic Association, vol. 97(4), pages 1353-1373, September.
[Downloadable!]
Other versions:
Jackson, Matthew O. & Morelli, Massimo, .
"Political bias and war,"
Working Papers
1247, California Institute of Technology, Division of the Humanities and Social Sciences.
[Downloadable!]