Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/29784 
Year of Publication: 
2009
Series/Report no.: 
DIW Discussion Papers No. 921
Publisher: 
Deutsches Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung (DIW), Berlin
Abstract: 
Research on ethno-linguistic ties has so far mostly focused on domestic measures of ethno-linguistic heterogeneity. Little attention has been given to the possibility that ethno-linguistic relations between countries may affect out- comes, particularly in a spatial econometric context. In this paper, I propose a way of measuring Ethno-Linguistic Affinity between nations. This new index measures the degree of similarity two randomly drawn individuals from two different populations can be expected to display. I show that this measure has a number of attractive theoretical characteristics, which make it particularly useful and continue to actually construct such a measure for all countries in Africa. Finally, using this measure of Ethno-Linguistic Affinity, I show that civil conflict in Africa is likely to spill over between contiguous ethno-linguistically similar countries.
Subjects: 
Ethno-linguistic heterogeneity
spatial econometrics
conflict
Africa
JEL: 
C21
F51
O10
Document Type: 
Working Paper

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