The conceptualization and measurement ofethnic and religious divisions: categorical, temporal, and spatial dimensions with evidencefrom Mindanao, the Philippines

Rachel Gisselquist () and Omar Shahabudin McDoom

LSE Research Online Documents on Economics from London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library

Abstract: A large body of recent quantitative work on the ‘diversity detriment’ hypothesis finds that ethno-religious diversity is linked with a host of societal ills, implying in turn a strong challenge to multiculturalist theory and policies. Given the stakes, the appropriate conceptualization and measurement of ethno-religious divisions is a matter of considerable importance. This paper provides a synthetic critique of how major measures each capture the notion of ‘divisions’ and relate to each other conceptually and empirically within a divided society. Furthermore, instead of presenting temporal snapshots of divisions at the national level, as in most previous work on the topic, we explore how measures perform at more localized levels of analysis and over time, drawing on individual level census data from Mindanao, the Philippines. We highlight four conceptually ‘big’ issues we believe deserve emphasis and further investigation: the sensitivity of measures to the choice of construct, categorization methodology, passage of time, and spatial variation. We provide guidance and discuss the key implications of these points both for quantitative scholars working with these measures and for qualitatively inclined empiricists and normative theorists wishing to interpret, evaluate or otherwise engage with the quantitative research on the merits of diversity.

Keywords: ethnicity; religion; ethnic diversity; ethnic divisions; ethnic fractionalization; ethnic polarization (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: D70 J1 J15 N35 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 27 pages
Date: 2015-02
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-evo and nep-sea
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http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/61993/ Open access version. (application/pdf)

Related works:
Working Paper: The Conceptualization and Measurement of Ethnic and Religious Divisions: Categorical, Temporal, and Spatial Dimensions with Evidence from Mindanao, the Philippines (2015)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:ehl:lserod:61993

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