Local conflict in Indonesia: incidence and patterns

Local conflict characterizes many countries such as Indonesia, but research has tended to focus on largescale,‘headline’ conflicts. Using a unique dataset that maps conflict incidence across all of Indonesia’s 69,000 villages, and combining quantitative and qualitative methods, the study applies an empirical framework to analyze potential links between local conflict and poverty, inequality, shocks, ethnic and religious diversity, and community-level associational and security arrangements. Positive correlations with conflict include unemployment, inequality, natural disasters, changes in sources of incomes, and clustering of ethnic groups within villages.