What Is a Civil War? A Critical Review of Its Definition and (Econometric) Consequences
The authors argue that the academic literature, both qualitative and quantitative, has mislabeled most episodes of large-scale violence in Africa as civil war; these episodes better fit their concept of regional war complexes. The paper seeks to hi...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Language: | English en_US |
| Published: |
World Bank, Washington, DC
2013
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2013/04/17526706/civil-war-critical-review-definition-econometric-consequences http://hdl.handle.net/10986/13202 |
| Summary: | The authors argue that the academic
literature, both qualitative and quantitative, has
mislabeled most episodes of large-scale violence in Africa
as civil war; these episodes better fit their concept of
regional war complexes. The paper seeks to highlight the
fundamental flaws in the conception of civil war in the
econometric literature and their implications for
econometric specification and estimation, problems that this
literature is inherently incapable of rectifying. The
authors advocate the comparative study of regional war
complexes in Africa based on historical narratives. |
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