Segmentary Lineage Organization and Conflict in Sub‐Saharan Africa
Name
10.3982-ECTA16327.pdf
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2.46 MB
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Unknown
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Author(s)
Moscona, Jacob
Nunn, Nathan
Robinson, James A.
Date Issued
September 2020
Journal
Econometrica
Publisher
Econometric Society
Citation
Moscona, Jacob, Nunn, Nathan and Robinson, James A. 2020. "Segmentary Lineage Organization and Conflict in Sub‐Saharan Africa." Econometrica, 88 (5).
Version
Author's final manuscript
Abstract
We test the longstanding hypothesis that ethnic groups organized around “segmentary lineages” are more prone to conflict. Ethnographic accounts suggest that in such societies, which are characterized by strong allegiances to distant relatives, individuals are obligated to come to the aid of fellow lineage members when they become involved in conflicts. As a consequence, small disagreements often escalate into larger‐scale conflicts involving many individuals. We test for a link between segmentary lineage organization and conflict across ethnic groups in sub‐Saharan Africa. Using a number of estimation strategies, including a regression discontinuity design at ethnic boundaries, we find that segmentary lineage societies experience more conflicts, and particularly ones that are retaliatory, long in duration, and large in scale.
MIT Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Economics
Terms of Use
Article is made available in accordance with the publisher's policy and may be subject to US copyright law. Please refer to the publisher's site for terms of use.
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DOI of Published Version
https://doi.org/10.3982/ecta16327
