Democratisation and Conflict in Ethnically Divided Societies

The question why civil wars break out and what dynamics drive them remains one of the most complex and fascinating research topics in political science. The more important violent, internal conflicts have become on the international political agenda, the more academic studies have tried to grasp this phenomenon in theoretical and empirical terms. This review focuses primarily on ethnically divided societies and outlines the state of scientific debate concerning three core questions: Why do people get involved in ethnic conflicts? Why and how do ethnic civil wars spread? How are democratisation, state capacity and institutions linked with the outbreak of (ethnic) violence? Each section of this review provides an overview of the theoretical and empirical literature in the area, with a strong focus on recent studies. The main goal is to identify major strands of discussion, not to provide exhaustive accounts. The review concludes with an outlook on current data projects that will influence the debate in the near future.