Resource information
Horizontal inequalities (HIs) within a
country, or inequalities among groups, have been shown to be
an important source of violent conflict. Relevant group
categorizations include religion, ethnicity, and region. HIs
can also be measured in different ways. Ethnicity, language,
religion, race, and region are examples of potentially
relevant and salient group categorizations. In this paper
the authors will review the prevailing HIs and their
management in four West African countries - Cote d’Ivoire,
Ghana, Mali, and Nigeria. The report provides some basic
facts about these four countries, which vary greatly in
area, per capita income, poverty, child mortality rates, and
other features. In terms of ethnoreligious demography, it is
important to note that all four countries have a highly
diverse ethnic population, and three of the four (Ghana,
Nigeria, and Cote d’Ivoire) have substantial Christian and
Muslim populations. Each of the case study countries has had
a relatively turbulent and complex political history in
recent decades. The four case study countries present
instructive examples of the possible (mis)management of HIs.
In this paper the authors analyze the evolution and
management of the prevailing HIs in each of the four cases.
Section one gives introduction. Section two presents
evidence on the evolution and current state of HIs in each
country. Section three analyzes the main causes of the
prevailing HIs, while section four focuses on the
governments’ attitudes, policies, and measures toward HIs.
Section five discusses the links between the HIs observed
and the political outcomes. Section six draws some
conclusions and makes policy recommendations for improved
management of HIs in multiethnic developing countries
generally, and specifically in four case study countries.
