Replication Data for: The Political Boundaries of Ethnic Divisions

Principal Investigator(s): View help for Principal Investigator(s) Samuel Bazzi, Boston University; Matthew Gudgeon, U.S. Military Academy

Version: View help for Version V1

Name	File Type	Size	Last Modified
AEJApp_2019_0309_Replication			02/24/2020 09:05:AM

Project Citation:

Bazzi, Samuel, and Gudgeon, Matthew. Replication Data for: The Political Boundaries of Ethnic Divisions. Nashville, TN: American Economic Association [publisher], 2020. Ann Arbor, MI: Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research [distributor], 2020-12-17. https://doi.org/10.3886/E116802V1

Project Description

Summary: We use a policy experiment in Indonesia to show how local political boundaries affect ethnic tension. Redrawing district borders along group lines reduces conflict. However, the gains in stability are undone or even reversed when new boundaries increase ethnic polarization. Greater polarization leads to more violence around majoritarian elections but has little effect around lower-stakes, proportional representation elections. These results point to distinct incentives for violence in winner-take-all settings with contestable public resources. Overall, our findings illustrate the promise and pitfalls of redrawing borders in diverse countries where it is infeasible for each group to have its own administrative unit.

Scope of Project

JEL Classification:
      D72 Political Processes: Rent-seeking, Lobbying, Elections, Legislatures, and Voting Behavior
      D74 Conflict; Conflict Resolution; Alliances; Revolutions
      H41 Public Goods
      H77 Intergovernmental Relations; Federalism; Secession
      O13 Economic Development: Agriculture; Natural Resources; Energy; Environment; Other Primary Products
      Q34 Natural Resources and Domestic and International Conflicts

Geographic Coverage: Indonesia

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Published Versions

V1 [2020-12-17]

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DDI 2.5

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