Oil wealth, ethno-religious-linguistic fractionalization and civil wars in Africa: cross-country evidence

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Periodical article

Title:	Oil wealth, ethno-religious-linguistic fractionalization and civil wars in Africa: cross-country evidence
Author:	Anyanwu, John C.
Year:	2014
Periodical:	African Development Review (ISSN 1467-8268)
Volume:	26
Issue:	2
Pages:	209-236
Language:	English
Geographic term:	Africa
Subjects:	civil wars petroleum ethnicity languages religion
External link:	https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8268.12077
Abstract:	The author examines the effect of oil wealth and ethno-religious-linguistic fractionalization on civil war prevalence in Africa, by using three different estimation strategies and alternative measures of societal diversity. He shows that oil wealth and the three distributional measures of ethnic fractionalization, religious fractionalization and linguistic fractionalization are significant correlates of civil war in Africa. These effects persist as an alternative measure of the prevalence of civil war is used. Thus, while oil wealthy, ethnically and linguistically fractionalized countries are more likely to experience civil violence, religiously fractionalized ones are less likely to experience significant civil violence. Countries with a large population, rough (mountainous) terrain and which are 'coup-prone' are at greater risk for civil war than those that are more democratic with high per capita income and economic growth. App., bibliogr., note, ref., sum. [Journal abstract]