Diversity and Development: The Interaction of Political Institutions with Social Context

Abstract:     
This paper uses data from the Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) to explore the interrelationships of political institutions, ethnic diversity, and development outcomes, such as education and public health indicators. Specifically, it tests the hypothesis that the effects of ethnic diversity on these outcomes are mediated by the degree of political competition and the geographic distribution of ethnic groups. The DHS data have been collected in 85 countries using nationally representative samples. These data, however, do not include measures of political institutions. This paper is the initial stage of a long-term project that will expand the datasets to include political indicators, permitting both cross-national and sub-national analyses. The ability to use individual-level survey data, rather than national indicators of development, permits the measurement of inequality in outcomes across ethnic groups and trace these outcomes to political patterns in each country.

Number of Pages in PDF File: 31

Keywords: ethnic heterogeneity, public goods, development, democracy

JEL Classification: H41,H18,H31

working papers series