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The Role of Ethnicity in Economic Development

Ethnicity and diversity are key but difficult variables to define and measure in economic development research. While some conflicts are along tribal or ethnic lines, like in Rwanda, others can be religiously based, as seen somewhat in Nigeria's conflicts. Somalia was once considered ethnically homogeneous since 85% identified as Somali, but its civil war caused ethnicity to be redefined according to clan groups, showing how definitions of ethnicity can change over time and geography.

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Rei Diaz Apalla
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23 views

The Role of Ethnicity in Economic Development

Ethnicity and diversity are key but difficult variables to define and measure in economic development research. While some conflicts are along tribal or ethnic lines, like in Rwanda, others can be religiously based, as seen somewhat in Nigeria's conflicts. Somalia was once considered ethnically homogeneous since 85% identified as Somali, but its civil war caused ethnicity to be redefined according to clan groups, showing how definitions of ethnicity can change over time and geography.

Uploaded by

Rei Diaz Apalla
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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The role of ethnicity in economic development[edit]

Much discussion among researchers centers around defining and measuring two key but related
variables: ethnicity and diversity. It is debated whether ethnicity should be defined by culture,
language, or religion. While conflicts in Rwanda were largely along tribal lines, Nigeria's string of
conflicts is thought to be – at least to some degree – religiously based.[20] Some have proposed that,
as the saliency of these different ethnic variables tends to vary over time and across geography,
research methodologies should vary according to the context.[21]Somalia provides an interesting
example. Due to the fact that about 85% of its population defined themselves as Somali, Somalia
was considered to be a rather ethnically-homogeneous nation.[21] However, civil war caused ethnicity
(or ethnic affiliation) to be redefined according to clan groups.[21]

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