This paper reviews the booming literature on civil war. It presents the major theoretical perspectives and key empirical results on the determinants of civil war. The paper identifies controversies in the field and suggests ways to improve and organize our research. The conclusion outlines...

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to shed light on the weaknesses of Nigerian social and political institutions. Design/methodology/approach – Thematic analysis of interview and questionnaire data was undertaken. Findings – The paper locates the Nigerian State as a weak state....

This article examines how the relationship between ethnic polarization and civil war could be moderated by different degrees of ethnic salience. Using an agent-based computational model, we analyze the polarization—conflict relationship when ethnic salience is ``fixed''—high for...

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to shed light on the weaknesses of Nigerian social and political institutions. Design/methodology/approach – Thematic analysis of interview and questionnaire data was undertaken. Findings – The paper locates the Nigerian State as a weak state....

While case-based narratives from civil wars often stress the ethnic dimension of civilian atrocities, cross-national studies have found limited evidence in support of such contentions. Addressing this debate, we argue that warring actors often use ethnic affiliation to identify groups of...