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Property Insecurity and Conflict

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  • Lawson-Remer Terra

    (The New School, 66W 12th Street, 6th floor, New York, NY, 10011, USA)

Abstract

Insecure property rights for marginalized groups foster anti-government grievances – motivating dispossessed groups to rebel, and increasing the likelihood of armed conflict and civil war. Cross-country research often treats property rights security in a country as homogeneous, but this standard one-dimensional conception of property rights ignores significant variations in the risk of expropriation faced by different groups within the same country. Using a new indicator that measures the property insecurity of marginalized minority groups, this article demonstrates that the severity of property insecurity for the worst-off groups in a country is positively associated with the likelihood of armed conflict across a range of specifications.

Suggested Citation

  • Lawson-Remer Terra, 2013. "Property Insecurity and Conflict," Journal of Globalization and Development, De Gruyter, vol. 4(1), pages 131-160, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:bpj:globdv:v:4:y:2013:i:1:p:131-160:n:2
    DOI: 10.1515/jgd-2012-0013
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    References listed on IDEAS

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