Working Paper: NBER ID: w15095
Authors: Enrico Spolaore; Romain Wacziarg
Abstract: We develop a theory of interstate conflict in which the degree of genealogical relatedness between populations has a positive effect on their conflict propensities because more closely related populations, on average, tend to interact more and develop more disputes over sets of common issues. We examine the empirical relationship between the occurrence of interstate conflicts and the degree of relatedness between countries, showing that populations that are genetically closer are more prone to go to war with each other, even after controlling for a wide set of measures of geographic distance and other factors that affect conflict, including measures of trade and democracy.
Keywords: international conflict; genetic distance; cultural relatedness; war; interstate conflict
JEL Codes: F51; F52; F54; F55; F59; H56; N10
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| geographic proximity and other factors (R12) | likelihood of conflict (D74) |
| genetic distance (C49) | disputes (J52) |
| genetic distance (C49) | likelihood of conflict (D74) |
| genetic distance (C49) | interstate conflicts and wars (F51) |