Journal article icon

Journal article

Conflict and the formation of political beliefs in Africa

Abstract:
We test whether living through conflict in childhood changes political beliefs and engagement. We combine data on the location and intensity of conflicts since 1945 with nationally representative data on political attitudes and behaviors from 17 sub-Saharan African countries. Exposure from ages 0 to 14 has a very small standardized impact on later attitudes and behaviors. This finding is robust to migration and holds across a variety of definitions, specifications, and sources of data. Our results suggest that at the population level, the “conflict trap” in Africa is not driven by shifts in political beliefs and engagement caused by conflict exposure in childhood.
Publication status:
Published
Peer review status:
Peer reviewed

Actions


Access Document


Files:
Publisher copy:
10.1086/715846

Authors


More by this author
Institution:
University of Oxford
Division:
SSD
Department:
Economics
Oxford college:
St Antony's College
Role:
Author
ORCID:
0000-0001-6003-629X


Publisher:
University of Chicago Press
Journal:
Economic Development and Cultural Change More from this journal
Volume:
71
Issue:
2
Pages:
403-442
Publication date:
2023-01-06
Acceptance date:
2021-06-10
DOI:
EISSN:
1539-2988
ISSN:
0013-0079


Language:
English
Keywords:
Pubs id:
1333575
Local pid:
pubs:1333575
Deposit date:
2024-12-12

Terms of use



Views and Downloads






If you are the owner of this record, you can report an update to it here: Report update to this record

TO TOP