The Effect of Civil Society Organizations and Democratization Aid on Civil War Onset. (July 2020)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Braithwaite, Jessica Maves; Licht, Amanda Abigail
• Is Part Of: Journal of conflict resolution. Volume 64:Number 6(2020)
• Page Start: 1095
• Page End: 1120
• Publication Date: 2020-07
• Subjects: foreign aid -- civil wars -- civil society -- democracy assistance; War and society -- Periodicals; Peace -- Periodicals; Arbitration (International law) -- Periodicals; 327.16
• DOI: 10.1177/0022002719888684
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0022-0027

Abstract

A growing literature identifies both situations where aid promotes peace and those where aid encourages violence. Specifically, research shows lower probability of conflict onset in democratizing states receiving high levels of democracy assistance. However, theorizing has overlooked important actors who have agency in spending such aid: civil society organizations (CSOs). We posit that the status of civil society within recipient states conditions the effect of democracy aid inflows on conflict probability. Using an instrumental variables approach to account for endogeneity between aid allocation and conflict propensity, we find that democracy aid is destabilizing when directed to environments where CSOs are weak and poorly connected to the regime and thus are less willing and able to seek change through peaceful means. When civil society is stronger and more institutionalized, however, larger democracy aid flows pose less threat.