Violent Non-State Rivalry and Organizational Behavior

University Of Georgia Research Foundation Inc, Athens GA

Investigators

Abstract

General Abstract This project examines how competition between violent non-state actors such as insurgent groups, terrorist organizations and pro-government militias influences their behavior. Despite a wealth of literature on competition in psychology, economics and political science, relatively little attention has been paid to the role of competition between such organizations. One would expect that sustained rivalries between groups can, in turn, lead to more general forms of violence against the population more broadly. These expectations are counterintuitive given the amount of work - both academic and policy-based - that contends competition among non-state organizations can serve to reduce violence. Conclusions of this sort have led political actors to adopt policies that might lead them to support one group in the hopes that it will destroy or distract a rival group. Technical Abstract The project addresses two remaining issues with respect to competitive dynamics among violent non-state actors in the field of international relations. First, there is currently no large-scale dataset that provides detailed information on the competitive relationships between specific organizations. In this project, the authors develop a typology of rivalry along with a dyadic dataset that captures detailed information about the nature and intensity of intergroup rivalries over time. Second, existing research overlooks the impact of multiple intergroup relationships on group behavior. To address this omission, the research team utilizes both dyadic and social network analysis techniques to identify the effect of multiple simultaneous relationships. This approach also allows them to examine to the "co-evolution" of violent behavior and the formation of rivalries.