Federalism, the geographic location of groups, and conflict

Type Working Paper - Conflict Management and Peace Science
Title Federalism, the geographic location of groups, and conflict
Author(s)
Volume 29
Issue 1
Publication (Day/Month/Year) 2012
Page numbers 93-122
URL http://cmp.sagepub.com/content/29/1/93.short
Abstract
In the literature on civil conflicts, federalism is often touted as a useful institution to address regional demands. However, diversity in the groups present in a country is also associated with a higher tendency for conflicts. In this article we examine how the geographic distribution of groups across a country affects the ways in which federalism contributes to conflict resolution. Of tantamount importance in assessing these effects of federalism is whether particular types of distributions of groups across a territory make the adoption of federal institutions more likely. We find federal countries with strong ethno-federal arrangements to be particularly conflict-prone.

Related studies

»