Religion, rulers, and conflict

Metin Cosgel (), Thomas J. Miceli and Sadullah Yıldırım
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Thomas J. Miceli: University of Connecticut
Sadullah Yıldırım: Marmara University

Journal of Economic Growth, 2023, vol. 28, issue 3, No 3, 439-480

Abstract: Abstract We offer new data and a new analytical approach to examine the roots of today’s civil conflicts that lie deeply in religious and political history. Religion’s effect on today’s conflicts come not from contemporary fractionalization or polarization, but from the deep-rooted effects of historical fragmentation coupled with rulers who could manipulate divisions by favoring co-religionists. To test the resulting hypotheses, we use a new dataset that includes annual information regarding the religious and political histories of today’s societies since the year 1000. We run regression analysis at both country and ethnic group levels. The results show that the likelihood of contemporary new conflicts is higher in societies that historically experienced religious fragmentation with rulers who shared religion with one of the groups and could thus favor coreligionists over others. Economic inequality and political grievances served as channels of transmission.

Keywords: Conflict; Religion; Favoritism; Discrimination; Historical roots; Grievance; Inequality (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: D63 D74 J15 N30 O50 Z12 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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Working Paper: Religion, Rulers, and Conflict (2023)
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DOI: 10.1007/s10887-023-09228-6

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