Research
War and Local Collective Action in Sierra Leone
John Bellows and Edward Miguel
2009
African DevelopmentPolitical Economy and Conflict
We study the brutal 1991-2002 Sierra Leone civil war using nationally representative household data on conflict experiences, postwar economic outcomes, local politics and collective action. Individuals whose households directly experienced more intense war violence are robustly more likely to attend community meetings, more likely to join local political and community groups, and more likely to vote. Tests using prewar controls and alternative samples suggest that selection into victimization is unlikely to be driving the results. More speculatively, the findings could help partially explain the rapid postwar political and economic recoveries observed in Sierra Leone and after several other recent African civil wars.
Collective Action in Diverse Sierra Leone CommunitiesPublished PaperAfrican DevelopmentHealthEducation and Human CapitalPolitical Economy and Conflict2013
War and Institutions: New Evidence from Sierra LeonePublished PaperAfrican DevelopmentPolitical Economy and Conflict2006
Can War Foster Cooperation?Published PaperAfrican DevelopmentPolitical Economy and Conflict2016
War and Deforestation in Sierra LeonePublished PaperAfrican DevelopmentEnvironment and ClimatePolitical Economy and Conflict2015
Healing the Wounds: Learning from Sierra Leone’s Post-war Institutional ReformsBook ChapterAfrican DevelopmentPolitical Economy and Conflict2016
War and Local Collective Action in Sierra Leone: A Comment on the Use of Coefficient Stability ApproachesPublished PaperAfrican DevelopmentPolitical Economy and ConflictResearch Methodology2015
Reshaping Institutions: Evidence on Aid Impacts Using a Preanalysis PlanPublished PaperAfrican DevelopmentPolitical Economy and ConflictResearch Methodology2012
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