Bureaucratic quality and the severity of genocide and politicide

First generation genocide scholars viewed bureaucratic quality as essential to government mass atrocity. However, second generation scholars view bureaucratic quality as an obstacle to government mass violence. I analyze the relationship between bureaucratic quality and killing severity econometrica...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published inDynamics of asymmetric conflict Vol. 13; no. 2; pp. 125 - 142
Main Author Uzonyi, Gary
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Abingdon Routledge 03.05.2020
Taylor & Francis Ltd
Subjects
Atrocities
Bureaucracy
Campaigns
Developed countries
Developing countries
First generation
Genocide
Holocaust
human rights
institutions
Killing
LDCs
Mass murders
political violence
Second generation
Severity
Online AccessGet full text

Cover

More Information
Summary:First generation genocide scholars viewed bureaucratic quality as essential to government mass atrocity. However, second generation scholars view bureaucratic quality as an obstacle to government mass violence. I analyze the relationship between bureaucratic quality and killing severity econometrically to help resolve this debate. I find that stronger bureaucracies increase the severity of ongoing campaigns of genocide and politicide. These findings indicate that first generation scholars are correct in emphasizing the importance of bureaucratic quality in helping the government realize its genocide or politicide. The results also indicate that our understanding of the importance of bureaucratic quality is not driven by the German bureaucracy during the Holocaust. Instead, bureaucratic quality has a significant influence on the severity of genocide and politicide in many recent cases of government mass murder that have occurred in less developed states, as well.
ISSN:1746-7586
1746-7594
DOI:10.1080/17467586.2019.1650387