Economic inequality has many negative consequences. But could it also motivate individuals and groups to engage in political violence? A recent research paper titled Poor Prospects—Not Inequality—Motivate Political Violence, in the Journal of Conflict Resolution, claims that it is not static inequalities but the deterioration of an individual’s economic prospects that motivates them to engage in political violence.
Aarushi Kataria and Atish Padhy examine the paper’s claims and theoretical grounding, using other existing literature and approaches in the study of political conflict.
