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The Spatial Distribution of Riots: Patronage and the Instigation of Communal Violence in Gujarat, India

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  • Berenschot, Ward

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Summary Why does violence erupt in some areas and not in others? The Hindu-Muslim violence that engulfed Gujarat in 2002 did not spread uniformly throughout the state, as a sizable number of towns and villages remained unaffected by the killing, looting, and raping that took place. This article takes up the different levels of violence within one city as a clue to understand the local dynamics that lead to riots. This ethnographic study of events in a violent and a peaceful locality suggests that violence is more likely in neighborhoods where inhabitants gain access to state institutions through patronage networks that derive electoral gains from communal violence.

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  • Berenschot, Ward, 2011. "The Spatial Distribution of Riots: Patronage and the Instigation of Communal Violence in Gujarat, India," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 39(2), pages 221-230, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:wdevel:v:39:y:2011:i:2:p:221-230
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Erica Field & Matthew Levinson & Rohini Pande & Sujata Visaria, 2008. "Segregation, Rent Control, and Riots: The Economics of Religious Conflict in an Indian City," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 98(2), pages 505-510, May.
    2. Wade, Robert, 1985. "The market for public office: Why the Indian state is not better at development," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 13(4), pages 467-497, April.
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    1. Raphael Susewind, 2015. "Spatial Segregation, Real Estate Markets and the Political Economy of Corruption in Lucknow, India," Journal of South Asian Development, , vol. 10(3), pages 267-291, December.
    2. Balestri Sara & Maggioni Mario A., 2017. "Land-Use Change and Communal Conflicts in Sub-Saharan Africa," Peace Economics, Peace Science, and Public Policy, De Gruyter, vol. 23(4), pages 1-7, December.
    3. Krause, Jana & Miner, Marika & Buba, Imrana & Sauter, Melanie, 2025. "Advancing Communal Violence Research: Concept, Definition, and Measurement," SocArXiv ry2e9_v1, Center for Open Science.
    4. Denyer Willis, Graham & Mota Prado, Mariana, 2014. "Process and Pattern in Institutional Reforms: A Case Study of the Police Pacifying Units (UPPs) in Brazil," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 64(C), pages 232-242.
    5. Ward Berenschot, 2020. "Patterned pogroms: Patronage networks as infrastructure for electoral violence in India and Indonesia," Journal of Peace Research, Peace Research Institute Oslo, vol. 57(1), pages 171-184, January.
    6. Khemka, Abhinav, 2024. "Why do voters elect criminal politicians?," European Journal of Political Economy, Elsevier, vol. 82(C).

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