DEM Research Seminar with Gauthier Fontanive, DEM, University of Luxembourg

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Political Favoritism and Non-State Ethnic Conflict in Africa

Abstract

I investigate how political favoritism based on cultural lines contributes to non-state conflict between ethnic groups in Africa from 1997 to 2021. By linking temporal changes in the ethnic composition of national governments with geolocated instances of non-state ethnic violence, I find that dyadic-level cultural asymmetry – defined as the difference in cultural proximity between two ethnic groups and the government – significantly increases both the likelihood and intensity of conflict between these groups, especially when the conflict events involve material resources. I then use individual-level geolocated data from Afrobarometer to explore how absolute cultural distance to the government and relative cultural distance with respect to neighbors affect perceived unfair treatment, interpersonal trust, and ethnic identity. Taken together, these analyses suggest that discriminatory government practices, favoring ethnic groups culturally close to power, intensify perceptions of inequality and erode trust, thus escalating inter-ethnic tensions and fueling conflict between ethnic groups within the same country.

Language

English

This is a free seminar. Registration is mandatory.