Beyond greed and grievance: feasibility and civil war
2008/03/28 by Paul Collier, P. Collier, Anke Hoeffler +3 · 879 citations
Agricultural and Biological Sciences · Social Sciences · #Agricultural risk and resilience #Civil society #Crime, Illicit Activities, and Governance #Development economics #Economics #Grievance #Law #Panel data #Political Conflict and Governance #Political economy #Political science #Politics #Spanish Civil War
paper · doi:10.1093/oep/gpn029
published in Oxford Economic Papers 61(1), 1-27 (Oxford University Press)
openalex publication_date 2008/03/28 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/05
Abstract
Civil war is the most prevalent form of large-scale violence and is massively destructive to life, society, and the economy. The prevention of civil war is therefore a key priority for international attention. We present an empirical analysis of what makes countries prone to civil war. Using a global panel data set we examine different determinants of civil war for the period 1960–2004. We find little evidence that motivation can account for civil war risk but we suggest that there is evidence to support our feasibility hypothesis: that where a rebellion is financially and militarily feasible it will occur. JEL classifications: O10, D74.
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