Horizontal Inequalities and Political Violence

While recent quantitative research concludes that economic inequality is unrelated to civil conflict, qualitative case studies suggest that what matters for political violence is so-called ‘horizontal inequalities’ (HIs), or systematic inequalities between identity groups. However, since case studies are not well suited for making broad generalizations, testing the statistical relationship between HIs and conflict is much warranted. Drawing on household surveys from a large number of developing countries, this dissertation offers new systematic data on horizontal inequalities, measured across various group identifiers (ethnic, religious, regional, migrant-status), and along various dimensions (economic, social, political). Specifying various theoretical arguments, the individual articles test the link between HIs and political violence, and whether the relationship is conditioned by different political, economic, and demographic contextual factors. The conflict potential of HIs is evaluated with regard to various forms of politically motivated violence, ranging from civil conflict to low-scale urban violence, and at different levels of analysis (national, regional, local). In sum, the statistical analyses corroborate the findings from the case-based literature, demonstrating that horizontal inequalities are indeed associated with higher levels of political violence

Maternal Health Care in the Time of Ebola: A Mixed-Method Exploration of the Impact of the Epidemic on Delivery Services in Monrovia

Public health emergencies like major epidemics in countries with already poor health infrastructure have the potential to set back efforts to reduce maternal deaths globally. The 2014 Ebola crisis in Liberia is claimed to have caused major disruptions to a health system not fully recovered after the country’s civil war, and is an important and relevant case for studying the resilience of health systems during crises. We use data on the utilization of maternal health care services from two representative surveys, one conducted before the outbreak of Ebola, the 2013 Liberian DHS, and another, smaller survey conducted in Monrovia in December 2014, during the height of the epidemic. We focus exclusively on data for women aged 18–49 residing in urban Monrovia, restricting our samples to 1,073 and 763 respondents from the two surveys respectively. We employ a mixed methods approach, combining a multinomial logit model with in-depth semi-structured interviews. Our regression analyses indicate that deliveries in public facilities declined whereas they increased for private facilities. Furthermore, overall facility delivery rates remained stable through the Ebola epidemic: the proportion of home births did not increase. Drawing on insights from extensive qualitative interviews with medical personnel and focus groups with community members conducted in Monrovia in August–September 2015 we attribute these survey findings to a supply side “substitution effect” whereby private clinics provided an important cushion to the shock leading to lower supply of government services. Furthermore, our interviews suggest that government health care workers continued to work in private facilities in their local communities when public facilities were closed. Our findings indicate that resources to shore up healthcare institutions should be directed toward interventions that support private facilities and health personnel working privately in communities during times of crisis so that these facilities are safe alternatives for women during crisis

Armed Conflict and Maternal Health in Sub-Saharan Africa, 2014

This project used subnational conflict data to investigate local effects of civil war on various maternal health indicators, such as e.g. the use of life-saving maternal health care services like antenatal care and professional assistance during birth. Determinants of maternal health in post-conflict societies were studied to identify the most effective intervention strategies, as well as the effectiveness of development aid. Statistical analysis of existing data, such as national surveys and geographical conflict data were combined. In addition fieldwork was conducted in Burundi, DR Congo, and Liberia, where interviews with women in fertile ages and medical personnel about barriers were collected. A survey on schooling and fertility was collected in Burundi by Philip Verwimp among a sub-sample of young women who had taken part in the countries nationwide test for entry into high school in 2010. For further information about "Armed Conflict and Maternal Health in Sub-Saharan Africa, 2014", please contact the principal investigator

What Is Driving Gender Equality in Secondary Education? Evidence from 57 Developing Countries, 1970–2010

Despite global efforts to expand educational opportunities for women, gender inequalities persist in many developing countries. Addressing the root causes of gender inequalities in secondary education we ask whether such disparities persist because of low state capacity or low willingness. Based on gender- and age-specific educational attainment data for 57 developing countries in 1970–2010, our analysis indicates that willingness factors are central to understanding gender equality in education: ethnically heterogeneous countries and countries where Islam is the primary religion experience lower levels of equality. However, key capacity factors like a country’s income level are unrelated to gender differences in education

Ethno-political favouritism in maternal health care service delivery: Micro-level evidence from sub-Saharan Africa, 1981–2014.

It is commonly held that political leaders favour people of the same ethnic origin. We test this argument of ethno-political favouritism by studying variations in the usage of maternal health care services across groups in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). More specifically, we link geo-referenced individual-level data from the Demographic and Health Surveys on 601,311 births by 399,908 mothers in 31 countries during the period 1981–2014 with data on the settlement of ethnic groups and their political status. Our results indicate that women benefit from the shift that brings co-ethnics into power, increasing the probability of receiving maternal health care services. The effect strengthens with increased competitiveness around elections. We advance the current literature in four important ways. Firstly, we undertake the first analysis that utilizes shifts in ethno-political status for the same individual, effectively eliminating competing time-invariant explanations to that of shifts in ethno-political status. Secondly, since SSA governments often incorporate multiple groups, we test the effect of patronage on being co-ethnic with cabinet members in general, and not only the president. Thirdly, health services constitute the public good most desired by citizens of SSA. Our measure captures a vital health service that is highly desired across groups. An increase in usage likely reflects genuine trickle-down effects of having co-ethnics in power, a crucial ingredient in building popular support for ethnic patrons. Fourthly, we show that electoral competition is an important conditioner of ethno-political favouritism

Equity in aid allocation and distribution: A qualitative study of key stakeholders in Northern Uganda.

The Sustainable Development Goals have spurred a growing interest in and focus on equitable development. In theory, donors can play an important role in promoting equity within a country by providing services, influencing government policies and incorporating equity into decision-making. However, we know little about whether this actually happens on the ground. We conduct what we believe is the first study to explore the extent to which equity is prioritised in the allocation and distribution of aid, based on in-depth interviews with government officials, bilateral and international donors, and implementing partners operating in Northern Uganda. We find that a broad category of people are perceived to be marginalised/vulnerable, with a substantial segment largely untargeted by major donor programmes. Various stakeholders employ a wide range of strategies to identify the most vulnerable individuals and groups, including the use of available data and statistics, consultation and engagement with relevant stakeholders, and undertaking primary data collection. The strategies used to incorporate equity in aid allocation and distribution include: targeting the regions of Northern Uganda and Karamoja in particular, targeting both refugees and host populations in refugee-hosting districts, prioritising the critically vulnerable in any aid distribution process, and using specific tools and consultants to ensure that major equity issues are addressed in proposals. Challenges undermining the process include poor understanding of the concept of equity among some implementing partners, lack of comprehensively disaggregated data, corruption, and political interference in choice of aid location from government officials and donors

Back to School after the COVID-19 Closure or (Further) Left Behind? Evidence from Panel Surveys of Rohingya Refugees and Host Communities in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh

School closures stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic led to the largest disruption of education in history, affecting nearly 1.6 billion learners worldwide. Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh were facing an education crisis even before the pandemic, as the Bangladesh government forbids unregistered Rohingya refugees from accessing the country’s public schools. In place of these schools, the UN Children’s Fund and international nongovernmental organizations provide nonformal education through informal learning centers in the Rohingya camps. Building on this pre-existing education crisis, the pandemic led to some of the longest school closures in the world in Bangladesh. Using original phone and in-person survey data, we explore the impact the closing of schools and learning centers during COVID-19 had on refugee and host community children in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh. While we do not find clear evidence that the pandemic affected refugee education in general, we do identify an especially detrimental effect the closure of education services had on the attendance of teenage girls among the Rohingya refugees after the learning centers reopened. The heterogenous effects are important because they highlight how the pandemic differentially affected different groups of refugees