Ethnic Stratification and the Equilibrium of Inequality: Ethnic Conflict in Postcolonial States - International Organization

In a recent article in the International OrganizationManuel Vogt, Lecturer in International Security at the Department of Political Science, explores why ethnic movements are more likely to turn violent in some multi-ethnic countries than in others. He finds that colonial legacies still have a profound impact on civil conflict risk in multi-ethnic states today. Internal colonialism in settler states is not only associated with high inter-group inequality but also with significantly lower levels of intergroup violence than those found in other multi-ethnic countries. In contrast, ethnic mobilization in the decolonized states and other segmented multi-ethnic societies is more likely to trigger violent conflict. See “Ethnic Stratification and the Equilibrium of Inequality: Ethnic Conflict in Postcolonial States” in International Organization.

Seminar by Carlo Koos, University of Konstanz

Carlo Koos from the University of Konstanz, who has been a visiting fellow in the Department of Political Science in fall 2017, presented a paper (with Alexander de Juan) on “Precolonial Nation-building and Contemporary Social Capital: Evidence from the Bushi Kingdom in Eastern Congo.”


Workshop on Institutions in Conflicted and Fragile States

On October 25, 2017, UCL’s Global Governance Institute (GGI) and Conflict & Change members Kristin M. Bakke, Alexandra Hartman, and Kit Rickard hosted a workshop on “Institutions in Conflicted and Fragile States.” The workshop, which was organized in collaboration with UCL’s Institute of Advanced Studies (IAE), brought together more than 20 practitioners, policy-makers, and academics.

Contrary to the common perception that conflict and instability lead to a governance vacuum, recent scholarship stresses the importance and variety of institutions in states affected by armed conflict and violence. A series of three roundtable discussions provided participants with the opportunity to discuss cutting-edge research and new ideas in the areas of property rights, governance and justice and reconciliation. For more info, see here.