Author, as appears in the article.: Flamand S
Department: Economia
URV's Author/s: Flamand, Sabine Charlotte M
Keywords: Size Secession Political-economy Number Inequality Heterogeneity Government Fiscal decentralization Ethnic-conflict Decentralization Conflict Autonomy
Abstract: © 2019 Elsevier B.V. We study secessionist conflict driven by cultural and economic motives in a political union of two regions, and analyze under what conditions partial decentralization may serve as a conflict-mitigating strategy. While the probability of a successful secession is increasing in heterogeneity, it is increasing in interregional income inequality if and only if the union is socially efficient to start with. If the cost of diversity decreases proportionally with decentralization, there always exists a range of decentralization levels compatible with peace. Greater inequality always widens this range but greater heterogeneity widens the range if and only if the union is efficient. The decentralization level implemented to prevent conflict relates to the underlying secession probability. If decentralization is not reversible, peace is not self-enforcing, yet multiple rounds of decentralization can be used to postpone the eventual date of secession.
Thematic Areas: Sociologia i política Political sciences and international relations Political science and international relations Political science Economics and econometrics Economics Economia Ciencias sociales Administração pública e de empresas, ciências contábeis e turismo
ISSN: 01762680
Author's mail: sabine.flamand@urv.cat
Author identifier: 0000-0003-2124-4592
Record's date: 2023-02-18
Papper version: info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersion
Link to the original source: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0176268017305463
Licence document URL: http://repositori.urv.cat/ca/proteccio-de-dades/
Papper original source: European Journal Of Political Economy. 59 (59): 159-178
APA: Flamand S (2019). Partial decentralization as a way to prevent secessionist conflict. European Journal Of Political Economy, 59(59), 159-178. DOI: 10.1016/j.ejpoleco.2019.02.007
Article's DOI: 10.1016/j.ejpoleco.2019.02.007
Entity: Universitat Rovira i Virgili
Journal publication year: 2019
Publication Type: Journal Publications
Repositori URV