Propaganda and Conflict: Evidence from the Rwandan Genocide

David Yanagizawa-Drott

Scholarly Articles from Harvard Kennedy School of Government

Abstract: This paper investigates the role of mass media in times of conflict and state-sponsored mass violence against civilians. We use a unique village-level dataset from the Rwandan Genocide to estimate the impact of a popular radio station that encouraged violence against the Tutsi minority population. The results show that the broadcasts had a significant impact on participation in killings by both militia groups and ordinary civilians. An estimated 51,000 perpetrators, or approximately 10 percent of the overall violence, can be attributed to the station. The broadcasts increased militia violence not only directly by influencing behavior in villages with radio reception, but also indirectly by increasing participation in neighboring villages. In fact, spillovers are estimated to have caused more militia violence than the direct effects. Thus, the paper provides evidence that mass media can affect participation in violence directly due to exposure, and indirectly due to social interactions.

Date: 2014
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (181)

Published in The Quarterly Journal of Economics

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Journal Article: Propaganda and Conflict: Evidence from the Rwandan Genocide (2014)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:hrv:hksfac:13457754

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