Article(electronic)January 6, 2015
The Democratic Window of Opportunity: Evidence from Riots in Sub-Saharan Africa
In: The journal of conflict resolution: journal of the Peace Science Society (International), Volume 60, Issue 4, p. 694-717
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Abstract
We show that drought-induced changes in the intensity of riots lead to moves toward democracy in sub-Saharan Africa and that these changes are often a result of concessions made as a result of the riots. This provides evidence that low-intensity conflict can have a substantial short-run impact on democratic change and supports the "window of opportunity" hypothesis: droughts lead to an increase in the threat of conflict, and incumbents often respond by making democratic concessions.
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