Human Rights Violations and Violent Internal Conflict

David Cingranelli, Skip Mark, Mark Gibney, Peter Haschke, Reed Wood and Daniel Arnon
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David Cingranelli: Department of Political Science, Binghamton University, SUNY, Binghamton, NY 13902, USA
Skip Mark: Department of Political Science, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI 02881, USA
Mark Gibney: Department of Political Science, University of North Carolina, Asheville, Asheville, NC 28804, USA
Peter Haschke: Department of Political Science, University of North Carolina, Asheville, Asheville, NC 28804, USA
Reed Wood: School of Politics and Global Studies, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85787, USA
Daniel Arnon: Department of Political Science, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA

Social Sciences, 2019, vol. 8, issue 2, 1-33

Abstract: This research project uses econometric methods and comparative, cross-national data to see whether violations of human rights increase the likelihood of the onset or escalation of violent protest, terrorism and/or civil war. The findings show that these types of violent internal conflict will occur and escalate if governments: (1) torture, politically imprison, kill, or “disappear” people, (2) do not allow women to participate fully in the political system, including allowing them to hold high level national political office, and (3) do not allow women to participate fully in the economic life of the nation by ensuring equal pay for equal work, by encouraging their entry to the highest paid occupations, and by protecting them from sexual harassment at their workplaces. These types of violations of human rights and the existence of large horizontal inequalities in societies independently produce an increased risk of the onset and escalation of many forms of violent internal conflict. The results also provide some evidence for the argument that there is a trade-off between liberty and security.

Keywords: human rights; grievance theory; conflict; political violence; women’s rights; torture; disappearances; extrajudicial killings; political imprisonment; horizontal inequality (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: A B N P Y80 Z00 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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