The Political Boundaries of Ethnic Divisions

Samuel Bazzi and Matthew Gudgeon

American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, 2021, vol. 13, issue 1, 235-66

Abstract: We use a policy experiment in Indonesia to show how local political boundaries affect ethnic tension. Redrawing district borders along group lines reduces conflict. However, the gains in stability are undone or even reversed when new boundaries increase ethnic polarization. Greater polarization leads to more violence around majoritarian elections but has little effect around lower-stakes, proportional representation elections. These results point to distinct incentives for violence in winner-take-all settings with contestable public resources. Overall, our findings illustrate the promise and pitfalls of redrawing borders in diverse countries where it is infeasible for each group to have its own administrative unit.

JEL-codes: D72 D74 J15 O15 O17 O18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (26)

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Related works:
Working Paper: The Political Boundaries of Ethnic Divisions (2018)
Working Paper: The Political Boundaries of Ethnic Divisions (2018)
Working Paper: The Political Boundaries of Ethnic Divisions (2017)
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DOI: 10.1257/app.20190309

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