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Segmentary Lineage Organization and Conflict in Sub‐Saharan Africa
Author(s) -
Moscona Jacob,
Nunn Nathan,
Robinson James A.
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
econometrica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 16.7
H-Index - 199
eISSN - 1468-0262
pISSN - 0012-9682
DOI - 10.3982/ecta16327
Subject(s) - lineage (genetic) , ethnic group , ethnic conflict , scale (ratio) , regression discontinuity design , test (biology) , discontinuity (linguistics) , ethnography , development economics , geography , political science , social psychology , sociology , psychology , biology , anthropology , economics , law , ecology , cartography , medicine , mathematical analysis , biochemistry , mathematics , pathology , gene
We test the longstanding hypothesis that ethnic groups organized around “segmentary lineages” are more prone to conflict. Ethnographic accounts suggest that in such societies, which are characterized by strong allegiances to distant relatives, individuals are obligated to come to the aid of fellow lineage members when they become involved in conflicts. As a consequence, small disagreements often escalate into larger‐scale conflicts involving many individuals. We test for a link between segmentary lineage organization and conflict across ethnic groups in sub‐Saharan Africa. Using a number of estimation strategies, including a regression discontinuity design at ethnic boundaries, we find that segmentary lineage societies experience more conflicts, and particularly ones that are retaliatory, long in duration, and large in scale.