All Politics is Local: How Spatial Context Shapes Civil Conflict

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  • March 20, 2019
Creator
  • Williams, Rob
    • Affiliation: College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Political Science
Abstract
  • Existing studies using spatial data omit many crucial aspects of the conflicts under study. While all models must make simplifying assumptions, these models often reduce space to a simplistic notion of distance. Case studies of civil wars demonstrate how factors such as population density and transportation infrastructure shape the local spatial context of a conflict, and in turn influence the decisions made by combatants. Based on these observations, I discuss how future research can best use the information contained in spatial conflict data by combining it with a more nuanced understanding of the role space plays in the on- set, progression, and resolution of conflict. As an example, I demonstrate how this spatial context approach can build upon current group focused investigations of rebel movement evolution by providing a more complete universe of potential rebel groups, leading to more robust conclusions.
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  • In Copyright
Advisor
  • Gent, Stephen
  • Bapat, Navin
  • Crescenzi, Mark J. C.
Degree
  • Master of Arts
Degree granting institution
  • University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Graduate School
Graduation year
  • 2016
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