Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/311568 
Year of Publication: 
2024
Series/Report no.: 
WIDER Working Paper No. 2024/78
Publisher: 
The United Nations University World Institute for Development Economics Research (UNU-WIDER), Helsinki
Abstract: 
We assess how one of the largest public works programmes in the world-Ethiopia's Productive Safety Net Programme (PSNP)-affected violent conflict and civil unrest. Using difference-in-differences methods and linking administrative and geocoded conflict event data, we find that the PSNP did not change the risk of violent events, but reduced the likelihood of civil unrest by almost half when compared to non-PSNP districts. These effects are most pronounced during the period 2014-18, coinciding with widespread protests in Amhara and Oromia, the two most populous regions of Ethiopia. Examining mechanisms, we find evidence that the PSNP fostered greater sympathy and satisfaction with the ruling party, making PSNP households less likely to engage in demonstrations.
Subjects: 
conflict
civil unrest
public works programmes
PSNP
JEL: 
D74
I38
H53
Q34
Persistent Identifier of the first edition: 
ISBN: 
978-92-9267-541-7
Document Type: 
Working Paper

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