Inequality and Discontent: A Nonlinear Hypothesis

Nagel, Jack H.

doi:10.2307/2010097

Cited by 118 publications

(55 citation statements)

References 12 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…While "resentment as a result of comparisons" grow, the "tendency to compare" decreases with the level of economic inequality. Given these assumptions, Nagel shows that the resulting cumulative effects result in an inverted U-shaped relationship between economic inequality and sociopolitical destabilization (Nagel, 1974). Similar results are obtained by a number of other researchers (Galtung, 1964, Nagel, 1974Hey, Lambert, 1980;Berrebi, Silber, 1985;Boudon, 2016).…”

Section: Economic Inequality and Socio-political Instabilitysupporting

confidence: 69%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Economic Development, Sociopolitical Destabilization and Inequality

Гринин¹,

Korotayev²,

Meshcherina³

et al. 2017

RSR

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

In the 1960s Mancur Olson and Samuel Huntington suggested that the positive correlation between per capita income and the level of sociopolitical destabilization that they detected for low and middle income countries might be partly accounted for by the growth of the inequality associated with the economic and technological development in these countries. The empirical tests we perform generally support this hypothesis, but they also identify certain limits for such an explanation. Our tests reveal for low and middle income countries a statistically significant correlation between GDP per capita and the economic inequality levels, but this correlation is not particularly strong. Earlier we found for the same countries significantly stronger positive correlations between GDP per capita and some important components of sociopolitical destabilization, such as the intensity of political assassinations, general strikes and anti-government demonstrations. It is quite clear that the strong association between the increase in the intensity of these components of sociopolitical destabilization and GDP per capita growth, can be explained by a much weaker tendency toward the growth of economic inequality only partly. In addition, our empirical tests suggest the presence of a certain threshold level of about 40 points on the Gini scale, after crossing which one can expect a radical increase in levels of sociopolitical destabilization in general, and the intensity of terrorist acts / guerrilla warfare and anti-government demonstrations in particular. According to the World Bank, the value of the Gini coefficient for Russia is now just in this zone, which suggests that the further growth of inequality in Russia could lead to an abrupt increase in political destabilization.

show abstract

Section: Economic Inequality and Socio-political Instabilitysupporting

confidence: 69%

“…According to Nagel (1974), political violence will occur most often at the intermediate level of economic inequality, and less often at very low or very high levels. While "resentment as a result of comparisons" grow, the "tendency to compare" decreases with the level of economic inequality.…”

Section: Economic Inequality and Socio-political Instabilitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Economic Development, Sociopolitical Destabilization and Inequality

Гринин¹,

Korotayev²,

Meshcherina³

et al. 2017

RSR

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…4 These contributions, while loosely based on theoretical arguments, are essentially empirically motivated in an attempt to identify a statistical regularity. The preference for 2 See, for instance, Nagel (1974), Muller and Seligson (1987), Brockett (1992) or the survey article by Lichbach (1989). 3 For instance, Horowitz (1985) argues that large cleavages are more germane to the study of conflict, stating that "a centrally focused system [with few groupings] possesses fewer cleavages than a dispersed system, but those it possesses run through the whole society and are of greater magnitude.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Linking Conflict to Inequality and Polarization

Esteban

Ray

2011

American Economic Review

322

229

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

In this paper we study a behavioral model of conflict that provides a basis for choosing certain indices of dispersion as indicators for conflict. We show that a suitable monotone transform of the equilibrium level of conflict can be proxied by a linear function of the Gini coefficient, the Herfindahl-Hirschman fractionalization index, and a specific measure of polarization due to Esteban and Ray. D31

show abstract

“…Nagel, 1974), which means that rising inequality would be conducive to conflict until a certain "peak" level is reached. Beyond this level, possibly because of stronger state repressive capacities, the rise in inequality is associated with a declining risk of violent conflict.…”

Section: I)mentioning

confidence: 99%

Land, Violent Conflict and Development

Pons-Vignon¹,

Lecomte²

2004

OECD Development Centre Working Papers

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Land dynamics are context specific and rapidly changing, and conflicts related to them do not systematically escalate into violence. One way of framing the discussion is to consider change in the structures of power governing the management of resources in rural areas as necessary to achieve greater efficiency and equity. Since such change will be opposed by beneficiaries of the system in place, the transformation of agriculture is bound to be marred by conflicts of various intensity levels. At the heart of these conflicts lies land because of its very high material and symbolic values. Evidence shows that (a) whether they result from pre-existing agrarian tensions or not, conflict situations in rural societies deeply affect the politics of land, and (b) whether it is at the heart of a conflict or gets dragged into it, land requires a careful approach by policy makers because it is a central element in the evolution of societies. As a result, policies pertaining to land can ... Les dynamiques foncières sont en mutation permanente et s’inscrivent dans des contextes spécifiques. S’il est vrai qu’elles provoquent des conflits, ceux-ci ne deviennent pas systématiquement violents. Pour mieux comprendre les liens entre terre et conflit, on peut s’intéresser aux structures de pouvoir qui gouvernent la gestion des ressources naturelles : leur transformation est en effet une étape nécessaire à l’amélioration de l’efficacité économique de l’agriculture et à la réduction des inégalités. Parce qu’elle menace les intérêts dominants, une telle transformation provoque toujours des conflits d’intensité variable. Or la question foncière est au coeur de ces conflits, à cause des valeurs économique et symbolique attachées à la terre. A cet égard, deux enseignements peuvent être retenus : d’une part, quelle que soit leur origine, les conflits dans les sociétés rurales affectent profondément les systèmes fonciers ; d’autre part, qu’elles soient à l’origine du conflit ou ...

show abstract

Inequality and Discontent: A Nonlinear Hypothesis

Cited by 118 publications

References 12 publications

Economic Development, Sociopolitical Destabilization and Inequality

Economic Development, Sociopolitical Destabilization and Inequality

Linking Conflict to Inequality and Polarization

Land, Violent Conflict and Development

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About