Roads to rule, roads to rebel: relational state capacity and conflict in Africa
| Autor: | Carl Müller-Crepon, Lars-Erik Cederman, Philipp Hunziker |
|---|---|
| Jazyk: | angličtina |
| Rok vydání: | 2020 |
| Předmět: |
Sociology and Political Science
Social connectedness media_common.quotation_subject Control (management) 0211 other engineering and technologies Ethnic group 02 engineering and technology state capacity ethnic groups State (polity) civil wars Argument Political science 050602 political science & public administration Civil Conflict media_common 021110 strategic defence & security studies 05 social sciences Instrumental variable Articles General Business Management and Accounting 0506 political science Capital (economics) Political Science and International Relations Africa Economic system |
| Zdroj: | Journal of Conflict Resolution, 65 (2-3) The Journal of Conflict Resolution |
| ISSN: | 0022-0027 0731-4086 1552-8766 |
| Popis: | Weak state capacity is one of the most important explanations of civil conflict. Yet, current conceptualizations of state capacity typically focus only on the state while ignoring the relational nature of armed conflict. We argue that opportunities for conflict arise where relational state capacity is low, that is, where the state has less control over its subjects than its potential challengers. This occurs in ethnic groups that are poorly accessible from the state capital, but are internally highly interconnected. To test this argument, we digitize detailed African road maps and convert them into a road atlas akin to Google Maps. We measure the accessibility and internal connectedness of groups via travel times obtained from this atlas and simulate road networks for an instrumental variable design. Our findings suggest that low relational state capacity increases the risk of armed conflict in Africa. Journal of Conflict Resolution, 65 (2-3) ISSN:0022-0027 ISSN:0731-4086 ISSN:1552-8766 |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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