Fighting and Voting: Violent Conflict and Electoral Politics
Thursday and Friday, May 14 & 15, 2009
77 Prospect Street, Room A002
Organizer: Thad Dunning (Yale)
Thursday, May 14
8:30am Welcome
8:45-10:30amPanel 1: Electoral Incentives to Cultivate Violence
“Riots and Votes”
Steven Wilkinson & Chris Haid (University of Chicago)abstract
“Electoral Geography and Conflict in Kenya: Examining the Local-Level Incidence of Violence in Rift Valley Province after the 2007 Election” Kimuli Kasara (Columbia University)abstract
Discussant: Paul Brass (University of Washington)
10:30-10:45am Coffee Break
10:45-12:30pmPanel 2: Paramilitary Violence, Ethnic Division, and Democratic Stability
“The Formation of the State: Evidence from Colombia” Jim Robinson (Harvard)abstract
“Ethnic Parties and Democratic Stability”
Kanchan Chandra (NYU)abstract
Discussant: Macartan Humphreys (Columbia)
12:30-1:45pm Catered Lunch
1:45-3:00pmPanel 3: Elections, the Distribution of Power, and the Persistence of Armed Conflict
“Time to Kill: The Impact of Election Timing and Sequencing on Post-Conflict Stability” Dawn Brancati (University of Washington at St. Louis) with Jack Snyderabstract
Discussant: Alex Debs (Rochester/Yale)
3:00-3:15pm Coffee Break
3:15-5:00pmPanel 4: The Participation of Armed Groups in Democratic Politics
“Concession amidst Contestation: Explaining Why Violent Groups Participate in Elections”
Aila Matanock (Stanford)abstract
“The Dark Side of Politics: Violence Against Civilians During Conventional Civil War”
Laia Balcells (Yale)abstract
Discussant: Chris Blattman (Yale)
Friday, May 15
8:45-10:30amPanel 5: Governance, Political Violence, and Elections
“Powersharing under the threat of conflict” Stergios Skaperdas (UC Irvine)abstract
“Erecting Invisible Ramparts: A Formal Analysis of Political Violence and Electoral Support in a Networked Setting”
Chris Haid (University of Chicago)abstract
Discussant: Juan Rebolledo (Yale)
10:30-10:45am Coffee Break
10:45-12:00pmPanel 6: Fighting and Voting as Informal and Formal Institutions
“The Making of Policy: Institutionalized or Not”
Mariano Tommasi (Universidad de San Andres) with Carlos Scartasciniabstract
Discussion and conference wrap-up: Thad Dunning (Yale)
12:00-1:30pm Catered Lunch