Intra-group Inequality and Conflict

Inequality between groups has been shown to have a strong effect on ethnic conflict. In this paper, we shift our focus to intra-group inequality. According to our theoretical model, high levels of intra-group inequality make it easier for elites to recruit for violent conflict, and should thus be associated with higher conflict risk. We present a new method to estimate intra-group inequality using spatial data, and test the impact of our measure on conflict in a regression analysis.