My Google Scholar page is available here. See also my ResearcherID and ORCID.
This research has been funded through research fellowships of the German National Academic Foundation and the
German Academic Exchange Service.
This research has been funded through research fellowships of the German National Academic Foundation and the
German Academic Exchange Service.
Publications
2017. To Claim or not to Claim? How Territorial Value Shapes Demands for Self-Determination. Comparative Political Studies 50 (7):992-1020. doi:10.1177/0010414016666837.
Abstract
The literature on nationalism and civil war provides compelling evidence that territory is highly identity-relevant and strongly associated with conflict. However, it remains unclear which territorial characteristics determine this process, and how groups demanding self-determination differ from their counterparts not seeking greater rights. I argue that groups claim self-rule if they assign symbolic relevance to their land in contrast to material or strategic value, due to the positive effect of symbolic attachments on group cohesion. I present new data on the value of territory and self-determination demands, and propose a new and comprehensive measure of symbolic territory. The findings reveal that variation in symbolic value shows a considerably stronger association with self-determination demands than material and strategic territory. This highlights new research avenues investigating the role of territorial value in subnational conflicts, as well as the systematic differences in conflict behavior between groups demanding self-rule and non-disputants.
Replication Data | Code (Stata & R)
2017. Selbstbestimmung und Gewalt: Zur Rolle von Territorialität in subnationalen Selbstbestimmungskonflikten. Zeitschrift für Politikwissenschaft, 27(4): 509-527. https://doi.org/10.1007/s41358-017-0114-z.
(“Self-Determination and Violence: On the Role of Territoriality in Subnational Demands for Self-Determination“)
Abstract
Substaatliche Konflikte über Selbstbestimmung sind in den vergangenen Jahren zunehmend in den Fokus der Konfliktforschung gerückt. Dieser Literaturbericht untersucht die Bedeutung territorialen Wertes für die Erklärung der Ursachen und der Wahl von Konfliktstrategien in Selbstbestimmungsforderungen. Die Unterscheidung symbolischen, strategischen und materiellen territorialen Wertes leistet einen wesentlichen Beitrag für die Erklärung des Auftretens und der Eskalation dieser Forderungen. Der Literaturbericht offenbart Ansatzpunkte für die differenzierte Definition von Konflikt, die Untersuchung gewaltloser Selbstbestimmungsforderungen und beschränkt gewalttätiger Konflikte, sowie bezüglich einer vertieften Analyse der dargestellten Zusammenhänge.
Abstract
The literature on nationalism and civil war provides compelling evidence that territory is highly identity-relevant and strongly associated with conflict. However, it remains unclear which territorial characteristics determine this process, and how groups demanding self-determination differ from their counterparts not seeking greater rights. I argue that groups claim self-rule if they assign symbolic relevance to their land in contrast to material or strategic value, due to the positive effect of symbolic attachments on group cohesion. I present new data on the value of territory and self-determination demands, and propose a new and comprehensive measure of symbolic territory. The findings reveal that variation in symbolic value shows a considerably stronger association with self-determination demands than material and strategic territory. This highlights new research avenues investigating the role of territorial value in subnational conflicts, as well as the systematic differences in conflict behavior between groups demanding self-rule and non-disputants.
Replication Data | Code (Stata & R)
2017. Selbstbestimmung und Gewalt: Zur Rolle von Territorialität in subnationalen Selbstbestimmungskonflikten. Zeitschrift für Politikwissenschaft, 27(4): 509-527. https://doi.org/10.1007/s41358-017-0114-z.
(“Self-Determination and Violence: On the Role of Territoriality in Subnational Demands for Self-Determination“)
Abstract
Substaatliche Konflikte über Selbstbestimmung sind in den vergangenen Jahren zunehmend in den Fokus der Konfliktforschung gerückt. Dieser Literaturbericht untersucht die Bedeutung territorialen Wertes für die Erklärung der Ursachen und der Wahl von Konfliktstrategien in Selbstbestimmungsforderungen. Die Unterscheidung symbolischen, strategischen und materiellen territorialen Wertes leistet einen wesentlichen Beitrag für die Erklärung des Auftretens und der Eskalation dieser Forderungen. Der Literaturbericht offenbart Ansatzpunkte für die differenzierte Definition von Konflikt, die Untersuchung gewaltloser Selbstbestimmungsforderungen und beschränkt gewalttätiger Konflikte, sowie bezüglich einer vertieften Analyse der dargestellten Zusammenhänge.
Work in Progress
Change We Can Believe In: On the Role of Religion in Demands for Self-Determination
(Revise and resubmit at Ethnopolitics)
Abstract
Religious conflicts are an enduring feature of national and international politics. However, we know very little about the salience of religion in self-determination conflicts. I offer the first systematic treatment of religion in self-determination demands on a global scale, investigating the relevance of religious group definitions and territorial attachments for claim incidence and strategy choice. I argue that religion provides claimants with mobilization advantages, fostering demands and nonconventional tactics. Data on self-determination groups worldwide, tactics, and religious identifications between 2005 and 2015 suggest that groups have a higher chance to demand self-rule and employ nonconventional strategies if religion is salient.
The Force Awakens: Territory and Violence in Subnational Conflicts over Self-Determination
(under review)
Abstract
The quest for self-determination lies at the heart of a large share of conflicts worldwide. While territorial characteristics such as resource wealth or terrain ruggedness are found to affect violent rebellion, it is unclear whether the findings travel to communities employing conventional and less violent strategies, in particular in self-determination demands. I propose a theory of strategy choice in conflicts over self-rule conditional on territorial value, arguing for the importance of symbolic value in accounting for the choice of nonconventional tactics. I present new data on strategy choice in self-determination demands worldwide between 2005 and 2015. Using logit and multinomial logit estimations, I find that symbolic territory is the most important correlate of nonconventional strategy choice. The findings offer important insights into the relevance of territory for understanding the sources of different conflict tactics, which have implications for the broader set of subnational conflicts.
Affording Independence? Economic Crises and Support for Regionalist Parties in Europe
with Hakan Günaydin
Abstract
European regions such as Catalonia are seeing significant levels of support for increased autonomy and independence, in particular since the economic crisis of 2008. Existing approaches focusing on the economic sources of regionalist support have proposed time-invariant explanations for these developments, uncovering often inconsistent direction of effects. We offer a dynamic account of European regionalism in the wake of economic crises, and propose that widening economic inequality between separatist regions and states increases support for regionalism. Specifically, we argue that equalization payments from the separatist region to the state exacerbate regional perceptions of inequality. By relying on a European sample of regions that are represented by regionalist parties in the national assembly between 1970 and 2010, we find support for our expectation that the widening of economic inequality due to economic crises increases support for regionalism. For parties with secessionist goals the effects are more nuanced and conditional on the relative economic strength of the region in comparison to the host state. The results offer new perspectives on the relation between regional economic status and support for regionalism and independence.
Watch Your Words: Territorial Framing in Mobilization for Self-Determination
Abstract
Territory has been found to affect the incidence of self-determination demands as well as the degree of violence involved. However, the understanding of the underlying mobilization process is limited. I argue that the communication strategies applied in demands for self-rule determine the probability of their success. My theory suggests that public framing of demands for self-determination in reference to symbolic territorial value increases the credibility and perceived legitimacy of the claims by referencing this focal point and thereby fostering mobilization. I use data on self-determination groups worldwide and their territorial value endowment, and show that symbolic territory is strongly related to small scale self-determination violence. I test the findings using case study evidence on the Corsicans and Basques in France, which confirms the relevance of symbolic territory as a collective action frame.
Securing a State: How Traditional Institutions foster Self-Determination Demands
with Clara Neupert-Wentz
Abstract
Traditional institutions have been found to affect a variety of societal processes, including intra-state conflicts, development outcomes, and electoral processes. How do these domestic political arrangements affect groups’ incentives to demand greater self-determination? We argue that functioning subnational traditional institutions of societal groups increase the capacity to self-govern, fostering mobilization for autonomy or independence. Moreover, the presence of competing jurisdictions confronts members of subnational groups with insecurity in their daily interactions with the state. This gives rise to a situation similar to an ethnic security dilemma, which incentivizes them to employ nonconventional strategies, and in particular violence, to reach maximal security through independence. We use data on socially relevant groups worldwide, their traditional political organization, and their strategy choice between 2005 and 2015. Employing logistic regression and matching methods, our findings demonstrate that groups adhering to their own set of traditional institutions are more likely to demand self-determination and to employ nonconventional conflict strategies. The results suggest new perspectives on the interactions of regional and national political systems with the propensity of subnational conflict.
Symbols and Support: Territorial Value and the Success of Self-Determination Demands
Abstract
Self-determination groups rarely reach their initial goals of self-rule. I argue that the value attached to the disputed land lies at the heart of demand success. My argument is that symbolic territorial value is a critical aspect in increasing claimant’s mobilization potential and bargaining leverage. However, narrow definitions of demand success focusing on claim content and corresponding outcomes are prevalent in the literature. Conceptualizing success more broadly as a strengthening of the claimant’s bargaining position allows for a more nuanced picture of the sources of concessions. I employ a combination of quantitative and qualitative evidence: First, I rely on comparative data of group and state characteristics on a global scale from 2005 to 2015, and, second, assess the internal validity of the findings through two case narratives. The results demonstrate that symbolic features of the contested territory indeed provide an important advantage for self-determination groups. My findings suggest that disaggregating measures of success provide us with a more nuanced understanding of when claimants are empowered, that can benefit the study of conflicts over non-territorial demands.
Zwischenstaatliche Argumente für föderale Prozesse: Territoriale Argumentationsstrukturen in der Debatte um die Gebietsreform in Thüringen 2017
("Interstate Reasoning in Federal Processes: Territorial Arguments in the Debate on Territorial Reform in Thuringia 2017“)
Abstract
Die territoriale Umstrukturierung auf föderaler Ebene kann signifikante Auswirkungen auf den Alltag der betroffenen Bevölkerung haben und Gebietsreformen werden von den betroffenen Akteuren mit großem Einsatz verhandelt. Was für Argumente kommen dabei zum Einsatz? Argumentationsstrukturen, die sich in anderen Kontexten als wirkmächtig erwiesen haben, können bestimmten Positionen besonderen Nachdruck verleihen. Ich argumentiere, dass Begründungen aus dem Umfeld zwischenstaatlicher Territorialkonflikte in diesem Zusammenhang angewendet werden. Die Analyse befasst sich mit der Debatte um die Funktional- und Gebietsreform in Thüringen 2021. Mithilfe von Structural Topic Models untersuche ich die Berichterstattung der landesweiten Tageszeitung „Thüringer Allgemeine“ im Jahr 2017. Erste Ergebnisse zeigen, dass, meinen Erwartungen entsprechend, staatliche und nicht-staatlichen Akteure solche Argumentationsstrukturen verwenden, die auch im Kontext von internationalen territorialen Konflikten gebraucht werden. Die Befunde demonstrieren, dass Ansätze aus den Internationalen Beziehungen fruchtbar auf Themen der Föderalismusforschung angewendet werden können.
(Revise and resubmit at Ethnopolitics)
Abstract
Religious conflicts are an enduring feature of national and international politics. However, we know very little about the salience of religion in self-determination conflicts. I offer the first systematic treatment of religion in self-determination demands on a global scale, investigating the relevance of religious group definitions and territorial attachments for claim incidence and strategy choice. I argue that religion provides claimants with mobilization advantages, fostering demands and nonconventional tactics. Data on self-determination groups worldwide, tactics, and religious identifications between 2005 and 2015 suggest that groups have a higher chance to demand self-rule and employ nonconventional strategies if religion is salient.
The Force Awakens: Territory and Violence in Subnational Conflicts over Self-Determination
(under review)
Abstract
The quest for self-determination lies at the heart of a large share of conflicts worldwide. While territorial characteristics such as resource wealth or terrain ruggedness are found to affect violent rebellion, it is unclear whether the findings travel to communities employing conventional and less violent strategies, in particular in self-determination demands. I propose a theory of strategy choice in conflicts over self-rule conditional on territorial value, arguing for the importance of symbolic value in accounting for the choice of nonconventional tactics. I present new data on strategy choice in self-determination demands worldwide between 2005 and 2015. Using logit and multinomial logit estimations, I find that symbolic territory is the most important correlate of nonconventional strategy choice. The findings offer important insights into the relevance of territory for understanding the sources of different conflict tactics, which have implications for the broader set of subnational conflicts.
Affording Independence? Economic Crises and Support for Regionalist Parties in Europe
with Hakan Günaydin
Abstract
European regions such as Catalonia are seeing significant levels of support for increased autonomy and independence, in particular since the economic crisis of 2008. Existing approaches focusing on the economic sources of regionalist support have proposed time-invariant explanations for these developments, uncovering often inconsistent direction of effects. We offer a dynamic account of European regionalism in the wake of economic crises, and propose that widening economic inequality between separatist regions and states increases support for regionalism. Specifically, we argue that equalization payments from the separatist region to the state exacerbate regional perceptions of inequality. By relying on a European sample of regions that are represented by regionalist parties in the national assembly between 1970 and 2010, we find support for our expectation that the widening of economic inequality due to economic crises increases support for regionalism. For parties with secessionist goals the effects are more nuanced and conditional on the relative economic strength of the region in comparison to the host state. The results offer new perspectives on the relation between regional economic status and support for regionalism and independence.
Watch Your Words: Territorial Framing in Mobilization for Self-Determination
Abstract
Territory has been found to affect the incidence of self-determination demands as well as the degree of violence involved. However, the understanding of the underlying mobilization process is limited. I argue that the communication strategies applied in demands for self-rule determine the probability of their success. My theory suggests that public framing of demands for self-determination in reference to symbolic territorial value increases the credibility and perceived legitimacy of the claims by referencing this focal point and thereby fostering mobilization. I use data on self-determination groups worldwide and their territorial value endowment, and show that symbolic territory is strongly related to small scale self-determination violence. I test the findings using case study evidence on the Corsicans and Basques in France, which confirms the relevance of symbolic territory as a collective action frame.
Securing a State: How Traditional Institutions foster Self-Determination Demands
with Clara Neupert-Wentz
Abstract
Traditional institutions have been found to affect a variety of societal processes, including intra-state conflicts, development outcomes, and electoral processes. How do these domestic political arrangements affect groups’ incentives to demand greater self-determination? We argue that functioning subnational traditional institutions of societal groups increase the capacity to self-govern, fostering mobilization for autonomy or independence. Moreover, the presence of competing jurisdictions confronts members of subnational groups with insecurity in their daily interactions with the state. This gives rise to a situation similar to an ethnic security dilemma, which incentivizes them to employ nonconventional strategies, and in particular violence, to reach maximal security through independence. We use data on socially relevant groups worldwide, their traditional political organization, and their strategy choice between 2005 and 2015. Employing logistic regression and matching methods, our findings demonstrate that groups adhering to their own set of traditional institutions are more likely to demand self-determination and to employ nonconventional conflict strategies. The results suggest new perspectives on the interactions of regional and national political systems with the propensity of subnational conflict.
Symbols and Support: Territorial Value and the Success of Self-Determination Demands
Abstract
Self-determination groups rarely reach their initial goals of self-rule. I argue that the value attached to the disputed land lies at the heart of demand success. My argument is that symbolic territorial value is a critical aspect in increasing claimant’s mobilization potential and bargaining leverage. However, narrow definitions of demand success focusing on claim content and corresponding outcomes are prevalent in the literature. Conceptualizing success more broadly as a strengthening of the claimant’s bargaining position allows for a more nuanced picture of the sources of concessions. I employ a combination of quantitative and qualitative evidence: First, I rely on comparative data of group and state characteristics on a global scale from 2005 to 2015, and, second, assess the internal validity of the findings through two case narratives. The results demonstrate that symbolic features of the contested territory indeed provide an important advantage for self-determination groups. My findings suggest that disaggregating measures of success provide us with a more nuanced understanding of when claimants are empowered, that can benefit the study of conflicts over non-territorial demands.
Zwischenstaatliche Argumente für föderale Prozesse: Territoriale Argumentationsstrukturen in der Debatte um die Gebietsreform in Thüringen 2017
("Interstate Reasoning in Federal Processes: Territorial Arguments in the Debate on Territorial Reform in Thuringia 2017“)
Abstract
Die territoriale Umstrukturierung auf föderaler Ebene kann signifikante Auswirkungen auf den Alltag der betroffenen Bevölkerung haben und Gebietsreformen werden von den betroffenen Akteuren mit großem Einsatz verhandelt. Was für Argumente kommen dabei zum Einsatz? Argumentationsstrukturen, die sich in anderen Kontexten als wirkmächtig erwiesen haben, können bestimmten Positionen besonderen Nachdruck verleihen. Ich argumentiere, dass Begründungen aus dem Umfeld zwischenstaatlicher Territorialkonflikte in diesem Zusammenhang angewendet werden. Die Analyse befasst sich mit der Debatte um die Funktional- und Gebietsreform in Thüringen 2021. Mithilfe von Structural Topic Models untersuche ich die Berichterstattung der landesweiten Tageszeitung „Thüringer Allgemeine“ im Jahr 2017. Erste Ergebnisse zeigen, dass, meinen Erwartungen entsprechend, staatliche und nicht-staatlichen Akteure solche Argumentationsstrukturen verwenden, die auch im Kontext von internationalen territorialen Konflikten gebraucht werden. Die Befunde demonstrieren, dass Ansätze aus den Internationalen Beziehungen fruchtbar auf Themen der Föderalismusforschung angewendet werden können.
Please email me if you are interested in reading any of the working papers.