Macroeconomic volatility and anti-refugee violence in developing countries: Evidence from commodity price shocks |
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Authors: | Michael Christian Lehmann |
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Affiliation: | Department of Economics, University of Brasilia, Brasília, Brazil |
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Abstract: | I investigate the effect of macroeconomic (output) volatility on anti-refugee violence in developing countries. Opportunity cost, rapacity, and state capacity theories predict ambiguous effects. For causal inference I leverage output volatility caused by plausibly exogenous commodity price shocks. I find that adverse commodity price shocks increase both violence of natives against refugees and violence between refugees. My results suggest that anti-refugee violence increases during recessions and decreases during economic booms. |
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Keywords: | business cycle conflict forced migration war xenophobia |
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