Spirals of (De)Escalation: How Bridging Capital in Local Leaders Shape Violence

• In Event: Identity Politics: Ethnicity and Beyond

Abstract

Communal violence remains an enduring experience across many multi-ethnic societies. In
these diverse communities, small-scale clashes can quickly escalate into severe cycles of violence.
An interesting pattern emerges across these communities: tensions are nearly ubiquitous—
yet, the outbreak of violence is not. What accounts for these pockets of peace within conflict
zones? I argue that local leaders shape violent (de)escalations through their role as arbiters of
disputes between communal groups. I develop a theory that argues that the strength of ties
village leaders possess across communities (bridging capital ) affects local leaders’ bargaining
capacity and citizen responses within negotiations. Drawing from a randomized controlled trial
conducted in 88 communities in North-Central Nigeria, I show that bargaining and negotiation
between village-level leaders impact violence and insecurity. I further test the implications of
the theory by drawing on original survey data of nearly 660 local leaders and over 4000 citizens. I
demonstrate that bridged leaders perceive outgroup leaders with more credibility, report more
resolved disputes, and, ultimately, less violent events. I also find that citizens with bridged
leaders are more likely to comply with arbitration decisions and to believe negotiation terms
are fair. Taken together, the evidence supports the argument that bridging capital in leaders
reduces violent escalations across communal groups.

Author

• Catlan Erin Reardon, University of California, Berkeley