Three Essays on Conflict and Displacement: Experimental Evidence from Nigeria

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Thompson, P. (2022). Three Essays on Conflict and Displacement: Experimental Evidence from Nigeria. Unc Charlotte Electronic Theses And Dissertations.
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Abstract

Establishing peaceful post-conflict communities requires returning and reintegrating those who left during the violence. With the United Nations and other institutions investing substantial resources to rebuild communities that have experienced violence with limited success, there is a need to further examine the dynamics of conflict and displacement.To do that, I use a series of field experiments in northeastern Nigeria to examine the impact of exposure to conflict on the decision-making of those in transitional communities. The first and second studies explore how war-induced psychological trauma impacts displaced persons' ability to be persuaded to return voluntarily, or formerly displaced persons' to return sustainably. In the third study, I investigate the determinants of the reintegration of former members of violent groups into their communities. In the first two studies, I find that war-related psychological trauma reduces displaced persons' ability to be persuaded. In the third study, I find that contrary to long-held beliefs, traditional leadership efforts to reintegrate former violent members of the community by making peace with them may be counterproductive in some situations. Finally, I discuss the academic and policy implications of my findings.

Details
Author

Thompson, Peter

Title

Three Essays on Conflict and Displacement: Experimental Evidence from Nigeria

Physical Description

1 online resource (145 pages) : PDF

Date

2022

Degree Granting Institution

University of North Carolina at Charlotte

Abstract

Establishing peaceful post-conflict communities requires returning and reintegrating those who left during the violence. With the United Nations and other institutions investing substantial resources to rebuild communities that have experienced violence with limited success, there is a need to further examine the dynamics of conflict and displacement.To do that, I use a series of field experiments in northeastern Nigeria to examine the impact of exposure to conflict on the decision-making of those in transitional communities. The first and second studies explore how war-induced psychological trauma impacts displaced persons' ability to be persuaded to return voluntarily, or formerly displaced persons' to return sustainably. In the third study, I investigate the determinants of the reintegration of former members of violent groups into their communities. In the first two studies, I find that war-related psychological trauma reduces displaced persons' ability to be persuaded. In the third study, I find that contrary to long-held beliefs, traditional leadership efforts to reintegrate former violent members of the community by making peace with them may be counterproductive in some situations. Finally, I discuss the academic and policy implications of my findings.

Genre

doctoral dissertations

Subjects--Topics

Political science
International relations
Area studies

Subjects--Places

Africa

Degree

Ph.D.

Keywords

Conflict
Displacement
Political Psychology
Posttraumatic Stress
Traditional Leaders
Voluntary Return

Subject Area

Public Policy

Advisor(s)

Walsh, James

Committee Members

Meastas, Cherie
Whitaker, Beth
Thill, Jeab-Claude

Degree Note

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of North Carolina at Charlotte, 2022.

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Rights Holder Information

Copyright is held by the author unless otherwise indicated.

Identifier

Thompson_uncc_0694D_13114

Permalink

http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.13093/etd:2839