Does Immigration Explain Why Ethnic Diversity Is Negatively Associated With Collective Action?

Abstract

A persistent question in the political economy literature is the extent to which societal levels of ethnic diversity, and rates of immigration, make collective action difficult to achieve (or maintain). Here I examine whether immigration can sometimes explain why ethnic diversity is negatively associated with collective action. This question is studied in the context of common property management in rural Uganda; with a focus on voluntary contributions to toilet construction and voluntary compliance with rules for managing forest reserves among communities whose levels of ethnic diversity and rates of immigration vary. I find that communities with lower rates of immigration are more supportive of common property management, irrespective of their levels of ethnic diversity. By implication, the socio-political impediments to collective action have less to do with the stock of demographic diversity than the flow rate of demographic change.