New Methodological Approaches to Local Context and Violence

Abstract

Experimental research in political science and development economics has found that small differences in local context can have substantial effects on outcomes as various as investment in public goods, clientelistic voting, ethnic identification, and school enrollment. Scholars of intra-state violence still tend to neglect important differences across localities. Equally importantly, the violence literature often presents dynamic and context-sensitive concepts, such as identity, as fairly static and uniform in their effects on group polarisation and violence. The purpose of this panel is to highlight violence research that grapples with these problems of context and complexity. Papers are welcomed that address any form of micro-level or contextual variation as it relates to violence. Individual papers might explore geographic variation in the intensity of violence, changes in identity in the wake of violence, the effectiveness of external interventions, or any other topic. The empirical focus is open, but we are interested in papers that use experimental methods, novel survey design, or other new approaches to investigating the dynamics of intra-state violence. Papers investigating the benefits or drawbacks of these methodological approaches are also welcome.

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