Mobilizing the Masses for Genocide

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Rogall, Thorsten
• 署名单位: University of British Columbia
• 刊物名称: AMERICAN ECONOMIC REVIEW
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0002-8282
• DOI: 10.1257/aer20160999
• 发表日期: 2021
• 页码: 41-72
• 关键词: conflict evidence; civil conflict; rainfall; VIOLENCE; shocks

摘要

Do political elites use armed groups to foster civilian participation in genocidal violence? Are armed groups employed strategically? How do they mobilize civilians? I investigate these questions using data from the Rwandan Genocide. To establish causality, I exploit exogenous variation in armed groups' transport costs induced by weather fluctuations; the shortest distance of each village to the main road interacted with rainfall along the dirt tracks between main road and village. I find (i) I additional armed -group member resulted in 7.3 more civilian perpetrators; (ii) armed-group leaders employed their men strategically; and (iii) armed groups invoked civilians' obedience.