Forced urbanisation: A cross-national assessment of the effects of intranational political violence on a nation’s largest cities

Robert M Anthony and Kristopher K Robison
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Robert M Anthony: Shepherd University, USA
Kristopher K Robison: Northern Illinois University, USA

Urban Studies, 2018, vol. 55, issue 13, 2923-2945

Abstract: This article offers a ‘first step’ toward understanding the consequences of intranational political violence on the growth of a nation’s largest cities. Theory and research from studies on forced migration and internal displacement are used to construct several hypotheses that assess the impact that various forms of intranational political violence have on the growth of major urban areas within the developing world. Hypotheses are tested using a cross-national time-series sample of 85 developing nations from 1974 to 2005. The results provide strong empirical evidence that various forms of intranational political violence are significantly related to population growth amongst a nation’s largest cities. Specifically, attacks on government personnel are associated with an increase in population growth among a nation’s largest cities. Violence targeting civilians are associated with decelerated growth in a nation’s largest city but increased growth in major secondary cities. Finally, increases in the intensity and duration of civil wars are associated with decreases in population among secondary cities but exhibit a curvilinear growth pattern in a nation’s largest city (i.e. an increase then decrease). It is argued that the findings are at least partially explained by the ‘spatial logics’ that arise from a given form of political violence. It is concluded that more attention should be given to studying the consequences of political violence on the urbanisation process for rapidly urbanising nations.

Keywords: economic development; forced migration; internal displacement; large cities; political violence; population studies; urbanisation; urbanisation and developing countries; ç» æµŽå ‘å±•; 强制移民; 内部拆è¿; 大城市; 政治暴力; äººå £ç ”ç©¶; 城市化; åŸŽå¸‚åŒ–ä¸Žå ‘å±•ä¸­å›½å®¶ (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:sae:urbstu:v:55:y:2018:i:13:p:2923-2945

DOI: 10.1177/0042098017722737

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