Implications of an Economic Theory of Conflict: Hindu-Muslim Violence in India

Anirban Mitra and Debraj Ray

No 19090, NBER Working Papers from National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc

Abstract: We model inter-group conflict driven by economic changes within groups. We show that if group incomes are low, increasing group incomes raises violence against that group, and lowers violence generated by it. We then apply the model to data on Hindu-Muslim violence in India. Our main result is that an increase in per-capita Muslim expenditures generates a large and significant increase in future religious conflict. An increase in Hindu expenditures has negative or no effect. These findings speak to the origins of Hindu-Muslim violence in post-Independence India.

JEL-codes: O15 O43 O53 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2013-05
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-dev and nep-evo
Note: DEV POL
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Forthcoming in the Journal of Political Economy

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Journal Article: Implications of an Economic Theory of Conflict: Hindu-Muslim Violence in India (2014)
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