Food Prices and Political Instability

Rabah Arezki and Markus Brückner

No 2011/062, IMF Working Papers from International Monetary Fund

Abstract: We examine the effects that variations in the international food prices have on democracy and intra-state conflict using panel data for over 120 countries during the period 1970-2007. Our main finding is that in Low Income Countries increases in the international food prices lead to a significant deterioration of democratic institutions and a significant increase in the incidence of anti-government demonstrations, riots, and civil conflict. In the High Income Countries variations in the international food prices have no significant effects on democratic institutions and measures of intra-state conflict. Our empirical results point to a significant externality of variations in international food prices on Low Income Countries' social and political stability.

Keywords: WP; food price; price index; country (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 22
Date: 2011-03-01
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (57)

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Related works:
Working Paper: Food Prices and Political Instability (2011)
Working Paper: Food Prices and Political Instability (2011)
Working Paper: Food prices and political instability (2011)
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