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Ethnic Politics and Ebola Response in West Africa

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  • Souleymane Soumahoro

Abstract

In this paper, I examine the effects of power sharing on vulnerability to adverse shocks in a multiethnic setting. Combining a unique dataset on the allocation of ministerial posts across ethnicities with the spatial distribution of Ebola, I provide evidence that ethnic representation mitigated the transmission of Ebola in Guinea and Sierra Leone. The findings suggest that one percentage point increase in proportional cabinet shares reduced Ebola transmission by five percent, as reflected in the total number of confirmed cases. I also provide suggestive evidence that this relationship goes beyond a simple correlation and operates through public resource capture and trust in political institutions.

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  • Souleymane Soumahoro, 2017. "Ethnic Politics and Ebola Response in West Africa," Working Papers 453, Center for Global Development.
    • Handle: RePEc:cgd:wpaper:453
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    2. Begoña Cabeza; & Shaun Da Costa;, 2023. "Taxation for development: the impact of the Ebola epidemic on citizen support across Western Africa," Working Papers 2307, Herman Deleeck Centre for Social Policy, University of Antwerp.

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