Infrastructures determine the risk of violent conflict after drought in sub-Saharan Africa

What is it about?

Comparing more than 860 provinces and regional states across 42 African countries over the period 1990-2010, the article finds that regions with comparably well-developed road and water infrastructures have a much lower risk of experiencing violent conflicts following a drought than less well-endowed regions.

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Why is it important?

The article provides a better understanding of the circumstances under which droughts and comparable hazards do or do not develop into major security risks. In particular it highlights that violent conflicts in connection with adverse climatic events are never uniquely determined by environmental factors alone, but rather the result of a more complex interplay of socio-economic, political and environmental influences.