Since the late 1990s, there has been a pronounced increase in econometric analyses of violent intrastate conflict, not least thanks to the now seminal distinction of “greed” versus “grievance” factors – prominently put forth by Paul Collier and Anke Hoeffler – to explain the causes of civil wars.
To discuss the potential strengths as well as pitfalls of such distinctions and analyses, Studies in Ethnicity and Nationalism (SEN) has invited four experts in the field to address the question of “What contribution can the discipline of economics make to the study of violent intrastate conflict?” from their very own perspectives.