Does Education Lead to Pacification? A Systematic Review of Statistical Studies on Education and Political Violence

Abstract

Does more education lead to less political violence, and may education thus be a tool for peace? This article provides the first systematic review of the existing quantitative literature on education and political violence. Looking at arguments pertaining to levels, expansion, inequality, and content of education, we identify 42 quantitative studies from the time period 1996 to 2016 that test the relationship between various measures of education and political violence. An emerging scholarly consensus seems to be that education has a general pacifying effect. However, this general conclusion is challenged by recent evidence showing above-average levels of education among terrorists and genocide perpetrators. This, as well as other findings, underscore that the relationship between education and political violence is complex and multidimensional, depending on type of political violence, mediating factors, and level of analysis. We conclude with policy implications from our findings and discuss directions for future analysis.

Higher education and violent revolutionary activism under authoritarianism: Subnational evidence from Iran

“…For example, if a government invests in literacy, it signals that it cares about the public's interests. This could reduce grievances over exclusion and, as a result, discourage individuals from joining radical groups (Østby et al, 2019;Thyne, 2006). Finally, it is also argued that education promotes social tolerance and creates a culture of peace through teaching social principles that underlie good citizenship (Thyne, 2006).…”

“…The current literature on education and political violence mainly emphasizes the negative relationship between education and participation in insurgency. Previous research suggests that education reduces the likelihood of individuals' participation in civil war because it affects the opportunity cost of conflict, promotes peaceful political participation, and creates a culture of tolerance (Østby et al, 2019;Thyne, 2006). Also, a vast literature demonstrates that education increases conventional political participation (e.g.…”

Explaining Recruitment to Extremism: A Bayesian Case-Control Approach

“…Determining the demographic profile of recruits to violent extremism is a central concern in studies of terrorism [Gambetta and Hertog, 2016]. Among the most commonly studied characteristics is education [Krueger and Maleckova, 2003, Krueger, 2017, Østby et al, 2019, Mesquita, 2005. In their review of the literature, Østby et al [2019] summarize three mechanisms linking education to a reduction in political violence.…”

Education And Revolutions. Why Do Revolutionary Uprisings Take Violent Or Nonviolent Forms?

“…They can be summarized as follows: (1) education changes ideological preferences in favor of democracy and commitment to civil liberties, fostering a culture of peaceful discussion and tolerance (Lipset 1960;Galston 2001;Dee 2004;Inglehart, Puranen and Welzel 2015;Dahlum 2019) ; (2) as a result of getting education, individuals increase the level of human capital, which leads to a rise in the relative costs of participating in violent revolutions/campaigns that require taking more risks and abandoning the usual life (Hall, Rodeghier and Useem 1986;Thyne 2006;Barakat and Urdal 2009;Dahlum and Wig 2019;Østby, Urdal and Dupuy 2019;Dahl et al 2020);…”

“…It assumes that people with low opportunity costs are more likely to engage in collective violence (Hall, Rodeghier and Useem 1986;Dahlum and Wig 2019). Thus, education provides people with qualifications that increase the value of their labor in the market and improve their well-being, which makes violent protest tactics incredibly expensive (Thyne 2006;Barakat and Urdal 2009;Østby, Urdal and Dupuy 2019). Moreover, an armed conflict presupposes a rejection of the usual way of life, that is, of the familiar earnings, in favor of long and extremely dangerous actions associated with the risk of depriving the accumulated investment in human capital -death (Hegghammer 2013).…”