Disarming Fears of Diversity : Ethnic Heterogeneity and State Militarization, 1988-2002
The authors address the question of state militarization under conditions of ethnic and other diversity. "Primordialist" claims about ancient hatreds, fear, and insecurity in such societies would lead one to expect that fractionalization,...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Policy Research Working Paper |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
World Bank, Washington, DC
2012
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2007/05/7558220/disarming-fears-diversity-ethnic-heterogeneity-state-militarization-1988-2002 http://hdl.handle.net/10986/7092 |
| Summary: | The authors address the question of
state militarization under conditions of ethnic and other
diversity. "Primordialist" claims about ancient
hatreds, fear, and insecurity in such societies would lead
one to expect that fractionalization, polarization, and
ethno-nationalist exclusion would prompt governments to
militarize heavily. But contrary to such expectations, the
authors find that higher levels of ethnic diversity predict
lower levels of militarization, whereas higher polarization
and ethno-nationalist exclusion trigger neither lower nor
higher levels of militarization. If fractionalization lowers
the hazard of civil war, as many find, then it does not
happen by way of a "garrison state" effect. The
authors discuss two potential explanations for their
findings, one drawing from the empirical conflict
literature, the other stemming from economists' study
of public goods provision under conditions of diversity.
They argue that their findings are best seen as consistent
with and complementary to the empirical literature on
conflict onset and duration. |
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