Dominic Rohner
Biographic Data
| ID | 976004 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Dominic Rohner |
| GIVEN NAMES | Dominic |
| FAMILY NAME | Rohner |
| SIGNATURE | ROHNER D |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Lausanne |
| ORCID | 0000-0003-2660-4550 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 28 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 91 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 28 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2004 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 4 |
Health interventions do not cause Malthusian conflict dynamics: Evidence from the expansion of HIV treatment in Africa
Recent research concludes that health improvements in the 20th century caused a surge in social conflict by accelerating population growth. Rationalized by Malthusian population dynamics, this indicates a potential trade-off for world-wide health initiatives, especially in conflict-prone regions. Here, we re-investigate this question with fine-grained contemporary data. After conceptualizing the chain of mechanisms that links health-driven popula…
The environmental impact of multinational firms in Africa
Science under Threat? A Natural Experiment in Economics
Academic freedom has come under growing strain across the world. To study whether and how academics react to political pressure, we exploit a natural experiment: the U.S. government's "blacklist" of undesirable words released in early 2025. We find that the release of this list leads to a sharp reduction in the use of banned words in sensitive contexts among economists working at universities that rely heavily on NSF funding. The drop is particul…
Heat and Hate: Climate Security and Farmer-Herder Conflicts in Africa
We investigate the impact of climate shocks on farmer-herder violence, using geolocalized data on conflict events for Africa, 1997-2014. We find that a one degree temperature increase yields a 54% increase in conflict probability in mixed areas populated by both farmers and herders (versus 17% in non-mixed areas). Quantifying the impact of projected climate change in 2040, we find that -when factoring in the magnifying effect of mixed settlements…
The Economics of Nation-Building: Methodological Tool Kit and Policy Lessons
This article reviews the recent burgeoning political economics research on nation-building. We focus on three main aspects of this body of work. First, we discuss methodological issues related to measuring nation-building outcomes and provide a synthesis of studies that employ different techniques, such as surveys on identity, lab-in-the-field methods, and direct observation of actions signaling identity. Second, we explore preconditions for effe…
Variants of violence: Classifying conflict types and policies for peace
This paper studies how heterogeneity in conflict determinants and types calls for different policy responses. For this purpose, we propose a novel, data-driven classification of country contexts and corresponding conflict types. We discuss several major conflict-related themes and policy-relevant recipes for curbing fighting
The Economics of Nation-Building: Methodological Toolkit and Policy Lessons
The Economics of Nation-Building: Methodological Toolkit and Policy Lessons
Medication against conflict
Adverse health conditions and social conflict constitute major impediments for developing countries. The potential for reducing social conflict by successful public health interventions is largely unknown. This paper closes this gap by evaluating the effect of a major health intervention—the successful expansion of anti-retroviral therapy (ART) to combat the HIV/AIDS pandemic in Africa. Combining exogenous time variation in access to ART with cro…
Combating Covid-19 with charisma: Evidence on governor speeches in the United States
Using field and laboratory data, we show that leader charisma can affect COVID-related mitigating behaviors. We coded a panel of U.S. governor speeches for charisma signaling using a deep neural network algorithm. The model explains variation in stay-at-home behavior of citizens based on their smart phone data movements, showing a robust effect of charisma signaling: stay-at-home behavior increased irrespective of state-level citizen political id…
Acceptability of Covid-19 Vaccine Among Hospital Employees in the Department of Paediatrics, Gynaecology and Obstetrics in the University Hospitals of Geneva, Switzerland
BACKGROUND AND AIMS: COVID-19 vaccination has been in the spotlight for almost a year now, both within the scientific community and in the general population. The issue of healthcare workers' (HCWs) hesitancy is particularly salient, given that they are at the forefront of the fight against COVID-19. Not only could unvaccinated HCW spread the disease, but HCWs are also critical messengers in building confidence towards COVID-19 vaccines. The goal…
Ballot or Bullet: The Impact of the UK’s Representation of the People Act on Peace and Prosperity
Does democracy curb domestic political violence? To study this, we focus on the United Kingdom’s Representation of the People Act of 1867—which is a critical juncture in the history of democratisation. Constructing a novel borough (‘urban centre’) level dataset on social conflict events and economic performance around the 1868 elections (the first elections where newly enfranchised citizens could vote), we exploit arguably exogenous variation in …
Saving the world from your couch: The heterogeneous medium-run benefits of Covid-19 lockdowns on air pollution
In Spring 2020, COVID-19 led to an unprecedented halt in public and economic life across the globe. In an otherwise tragic time, this provides a unique natural experiment to investigate the environmental impact of such a (temporary) ‘de-globalization’. Here, we estimate the medium-run impact of a battery of COVID-19 related lockdown measures on air quality across 162 countries, going beyond the existing short-run estimates from a limited number o…
Ethnic Violence Across Space
Spatial analyses focus to a large extent on the ‘bright side of proximity’, namely voluntary (positive-sum) interactions such as, e.g., in trade and innovation. In contrast, the violent ‘dark side of proximity’ has often been overlooked. To address this gap, we study the role of spatial proximity in ethnic conflict, developing a structural model of spatial violence in which ethnic groups recruit fighters strategically across space. The spatial de…
Covid-19 and Conflict: Major Risks and Policy Responses
The COVID-19 pandemic entails a medium- and long-run risk of heightened political conflict. In this short essay we distinguish four major consequences of COVID-19 that may fuel social tensions and political violence, namely i) spiking poverty, ii) education under stress, iii) potential for repression, and iv) reduced inter-dependence. After discussing them in turn, we will formulate policy recommendations on how to attenuate these risks
The Economics of Conflict and Peace
This essay takes stock of the existing literature in economics on the costs, consequences and causes of armed conflicts. The existing literature has put a particular focus, among others, on the impact of ethnic diversity, natural resource abundance and high poverty levels on the likelihood of conflict. Drawing on this, the current essay highlights several broad emerging trends in this literature. First of all, more and more papers use newly creat…
This Mine is Mine! How Minerals Fuel Conflicts in Africa
We combine georeferenced data on mining extraction of 14 minerals with information on conflict events at spatial resolution of 0.5 o × 0.5 o for all of Africa between 1997 and 2010. Exploiting exogenous variations in world prices, we find a positive impact of mining on conflict at the local level. Quantitatively, our estimates suggest that the historical rise in mineral prices (commodity super-cycle) might explain up to one-fourth of the average …
Knowledge is Power: A Theory of Information, Income and Welfare Spending
No voters cast their votes based on perfect information, but richer voters are on average best informed. We develop a model where the voting mistakes resulting from low political knowledge reduce the weight of poor voters, and cause parties to choose political platforms that are better aligned with the preferences of rich voters. In US election survey data, income is more important in affecting voting behaviour for more informed voters than for l…
Resource concentration and civil wars
Strategic Mass Killings
We provide a model of conflict and mass killing decisions to identify the key variables and situations that make mass killings more likely to occur. We predict that mass killings are most likely in countries with large amounts of natural resource rents, polarization, institutional constraints regarding rent sharing, and low productivity of labor. The role of resources such as oil, gas, and diamonds and other key determinants of mass killings is c…
Seeds of distrust: Conflict in Uganda
Electoral terms and terrorism
The Political Economy of Imperialism, Decolonization and Development
Nations have historically sought power and prosperity through control of physical space. In recent decades, however, this has largely ceased. Most states that could do so appear relucant, while the weak cannot expand. This article presents a theory of imperialism and decolonization that explains both historic cycles of expansion and decline and the collective demise of the urge to colonize. Technological shocks enable expansion, while rising labo…
Reputation, group structure and social tensions
Beyond greed and grievance: Feasibility and civil war
Civil war is the most prevalent form of large-scale violence and is massively destructive to life, society, and the economy. The prevention of civil war is therefore a key priority for international attention. We present an empirical analysis of what makes countries prone to civil war. Using a global panel data set we examine different determinants of civil war for the period 1960–2004. We find little evidence that motivation can account for civi…
Resource concentration and civil wars
Strategic Mass Killings
We provide a model of conflict and mass killing decisions to identify the key variables and situations that make mass killings more likely to occur. We predict that mass killings are most likely in countries with large amounts of natural resource rents, polarization, institutional constraints regarding rent sharing, and low productivity of labor. The role of resources such as oil, gas, and diamonds and other key determinants of mass killings is c…
The Political Economy of Imperialism, Decolonization and Development
Nations have historically sought power and prosperity through control of physical space. In recent decades, however, this has largely ceased. Most states that could do so appear relucant, while the weak cannot expand. This article presents a theory of imperialism and decolonization that explains both historic cycles of expansion and decline and the collective demise of the urge to colonize. Technological shocks enable expansion, while rising labo…
Blood and ink! The common-interest-game between terrorists and the media
Ethnic Violence Across Space
Spatial analyses focus to a large extent on the ‘bright side of proximity’, namely voluntary (positive-sum) interactions such as, e.g., in trade and innovation. In contrast, the violent ‘dark side of proximity’ has often been overlooked. To address this gap, we study the role of spatial proximity in ethnic conflict, developing a structural model of spatial violence in which ethnic groups recruit fighters strategically across space. The spatial de…
Reputation, group structure and social tensions
Knowledge is Power: A Theory of Information, Income and Welfare Spending
No voters cast their votes based on perfect information, but richer voters are on average best informed. We develop a model where the voting mistakes resulting from low political knowledge reduce the weight of poor voters, and cause parties to choose political platforms that are better aligned with the preferences of rich voters. In US election survey data, income is more important in affecting voting behaviour for more informed voters than for l…
Institution Building and Spillovers
This paper investigates the importance of institution building for economic growth in transition economies of Eastern Europe and CIS‐States. Using recent data, it shows that even in a Guardian State, institutions like property rights protection, administration efficiency, and general rule of low matter. They appear to be even more crucial for economic take‐off than standard economic factors like for example macroeconomic policy. Moreover, this pa…
Medication against conflict
Adverse health conditions and social conflict constitute major impediments for developing countries. The potential for reducing social conflict by successful public health interventions is largely unknown. This paper closes this gap by evaluating the effect of a major health intervention—the successful expansion of anti-retroviral therapy (ART) to combat the HIV/AIDS pandemic in Africa. Combining exogenous time variation in access to ART with cro…
Ballot or Bullet: The Impact of the UK’s Representation of the People Act on Peace and Prosperity
Does democracy curb domestic political violence? To study this, we focus on the United Kingdom’s Representation of the People Act of 1867—which is a critical juncture in the history of democratisation. Constructing a novel borough (‘urban centre’) level dataset on social conflict events and economic performance around the 1868 elections (the first elections where newly enfranchised citizens could vote), we exploit arguably exogenous variation in …
Electoral terms and terrorism
Wirtschaft und Politik in der Schweiz
Institution Building and Spillovers
This paper investigates the importance of institution building for economic growth in transition economies of Eastern Europe and CIS‐States. Using recent data, it shows that even in a Guardian State, institutions like property rights protection, administration efficiency, and general rule of low matter. They appear to be even more crucial for economic take‐off than standard economic factors like for example macroeconomic policy. Moreover, this pa…
Wirtschaft und Politik in der Schweiz
Blood and ink! The common-interest-game between terrorists and the media
Beyond greed and grievance: Feasibility and civil war
Civil war is the most prevalent form of large-scale violence and is massively destructive to life, society, and the economy. The prevention of civil war is therefore a key priority for international attention. We present an empirical analysis of what makes countries prone to civil war. Using a global panel data set we examine different determinants of civil war for the period 1960–2004. We find little evidence that motivation can account for civi…
Reputation, group structure and social tensions
The Political Economy of Imperialism, Decolonization and Development
Nations have historically sought power and prosperity through control of physical space. In recent decades, however, this has largely ceased. Most states that could do so appear relucant, while the weak cannot expand. This article presents a theory of imperialism and decolonization that explains both historic cycles of expansion and decline and the collective demise of the urge to colonize. Technological shocks enable expansion, while rising labo…
Electoral terms and terrorism
Seeds of distrust: Conflict in Uganda
Resource concentration and civil wars
Strategic Mass Killings
We provide a model of conflict and mass killing decisions to identify the key variables and situations that make mass killings more likely to occur. We predict that mass killings are most likely in countries with large amounts of natural resource rents, polarization, institutional constraints regarding rent sharing, and low productivity of labor. The role of resources such as oil, gas, and diamonds and other key determinants of mass killings is c…
The Economics of Conflict and Peace
This essay takes stock of the existing literature in economics on the costs, consequences and causes of armed conflicts. The existing literature has put a particular focus, among others, on the impact of ethnic diversity, natural resource abundance and high poverty levels on the likelihood of conflict. Drawing on this, the current essay highlights several broad emerging trends in this literature. First of all, more and more papers use newly creat…
This Mine is Mine! How Minerals Fuel Conflicts in Africa
We combine georeferenced data on mining extraction of 14 minerals with information on conflict events at spatial resolution of 0.5 o × 0.5 o for all of Africa between 1997 and 2010. Exploiting exogenous variations in world prices, we find a positive impact of mining on conflict at the local level. Quantitatively, our estimates suggest that the historical rise in mineral prices (commodity super-cycle) might explain up to one-fourth of the average …
Knowledge is Power: A Theory of Information, Income and Welfare Spending
No voters cast their votes based on perfect information, but richer voters are on average best informed. We develop a model where the voting mistakes resulting from low political knowledge reduce the weight of poor voters, and cause parties to choose political platforms that are better aligned with the preferences of rich voters. In US election survey data, income is more important in affecting voting behaviour for more informed voters than for l…
Covid-19 and Conflict: Major Risks and Policy Responses
The COVID-19 pandemic entails a medium- and long-run risk of heightened political conflict. In this short essay we distinguish four major consequences of COVID-19 that may fuel social tensions and political violence, namely i) spiking poverty, ii) education under stress, iii) potential for repression, and iv) reduced inter-dependence. After discussing them in turn, we will formulate policy recommendations on how to attenuate these risks
Saving the world from your couch: The heterogeneous medium-run benefits of Covid-19 lockdowns on air pollution
In Spring 2020, COVID-19 led to an unprecedented halt in public and economic life across the globe. In an otherwise tragic time, this provides a unique natural experiment to investigate the environmental impact of such a (temporary) ‘de-globalization’. Here, we estimate the medium-run impact of a battery of COVID-19 related lockdown measures on air quality across 162 countries, going beyond the existing short-run estimates from a limited number o…
Ethnic Violence Across Space
Spatial analyses focus to a large extent on the ‘bright side of proximity’, namely voluntary (positive-sum) interactions such as, e.g., in trade and innovation. In contrast, the violent ‘dark side of proximity’ has often been overlooked. To address this gap, we study the role of spatial proximity in ethnic conflict, developing a structural model of spatial violence in which ethnic groups recruit fighters strategically across space. The spatial de…
Acceptability of Covid-19 Vaccine Among Hospital Employees in the Department of Paediatrics, Gynaecology and Obstetrics in the University Hospitals of Geneva, Switzerland
BACKGROUND AND AIMS: COVID-19 vaccination has been in the spotlight for almost a year now, both within the scientific community and in the general population. The issue of healthcare workers' (HCWs) hesitancy is particularly salient, given that they are at the forefront of the fight against COVID-19. Not only could unvaccinated HCW spread the disease, but HCWs are also critical messengers in building confidence towards COVID-19 vaccines. The goal…
Ballot or Bullet: The Impact of the UK’s Representation of the People Act on Peace and Prosperity
Does democracy curb domestic political violence? To study this, we focus on the United Kingdom’s Representation of the People Act of 1867—which is a critical juncture in the history of democratisation. Constructing a novel borough (‘urban centre’) level dataset on social conflict events and economic performance around the 1868 elections (the first elections where newly enfranchised citizens could vote), we exploit arguably exogenous variation in …
Combating Covid-19 with charisma: Evidence on governor speeches in the United States
Using field and laboratory data, we show that leader charisma can affect COVID-related mitigating behaviors. We coded a panel of U.S. governor speeches for charisma signaling using a deep neural network algorithm. The model explains variation in stay-at-home behavior of citizens based on their smart phone data movements, showing a robust effect of charisma signaling: stay-at-home behavior increased irrespective of state-level citizen political id…
The Economics of Nation-Building: Methodological Toolkit and Policy Lessons
The Economics of Nation-Building: Methodological Toolkit and Policy Lessons
Medication against conflict
Adverse health conditions and social conflict constitute major impediments for developing countries. The potential for reducing social conflict by successful public health interventions is largely unknown. This paper closes this gap by evaluating the effect of a major health intervention—the successful expansion of anti-retroviral therapy (ART) to combat the HIV/AIDS pandemic in Africa. Combining exogenous time variation in access to ART with cro…
Heat and Hate: Climate Security and Farmer-Herder Conflicts in Africa
We investigate the impact of climate shocks on farmer-herder violence, using geolocalized data on conflict events for Africa, 1997-2014. We find that a one degree temperature increase yields a 54% increase in conflict probability in mixed areas populated by both farmers and herders (versus 17% in non-mixed areas). Quantifying the impact of projected climate change in 2040, we find that -when factoring in the magnifying effect of mixed settlements…
The Economics of Nation-Building: Methodological Tool Kit and Policy Lessons
This article reviews the recent burgeoning political economics research on nation-building. We focus on three main aspects of this body of work. First, we discuss methodological issues related to measuring nation-building outcomes and provide a synthesis of studies that employ different techniques, such as surveys on identity, lab-in-the-field methods, and direct observation of actions signaling identity. Second, we explore preconditions for effe…
Variants of violence: Classifying conflict types and policies for peace
This paper studies how heterogeneity in conflict determinants and types calls for different policy responses. For this purpose, we propose a novel, data-driven classification of country contexts and corresponding conflict types. We discuss several major conflict-related themes and policy-relevant recipes for curbing fighting
Political science (21 works) · Economics (19 works) · Law (14 works) · Development economics (10 works) · Culture, Economy, and Development Studies (8 works) · Political Conflict and Governance (8 works) · Politics (8 works) · Computer Science (7 works) · Sociology (7 works) · Ethnic group (6 works)