Polygynous Neighbors, Excess Men, and Intergroup Conflict in Rural Africa

Carlo Koos,Clara Neupert-Wentz

doi:10.1177/0022002719859636

Carlo Koos, Clara Neupert-Wentz

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1177/0022002719859636

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Abstract

We argue that polygyny creates a social imbalance where few, economically well-off men marry many wives and many poor men marry late or never. By definition, polygyny produces what we refer to as “excess men.” In order to gain material wealth, excess men are likely to raid, plunder, and rob neighboring ethnic groups. We test this hypothesis with georeferenced data on polygyny and intergroup conflict in rural Africa and find strong support. Drawing on Afrobarometer survey data, we explore the underlying mechanisms and find that young men who belong to polygynous groups feel that they are treated more unequally and are readier to use violence in comparison to those belonging to monogamous groups. Our article makes an important contribution to the peace, conflict, and development literature by emphasizing a fundamental aspect of human life: marriage and family.

Highlights

We argue that polygyny creates a social imbalance where few, economically well-off men marry many wives and many poor men marry late or never
We have argued that polygyny produces excess men who are disadvantaged in competing as viable partners on the marriage “market,” largely because they lack the financial means to compete with better-off men
By definition, polygyny creates a social imbalance where a few, usually well-off, men marry many wives and many, usually poor, men marry late or never

Summary

Introduction

We argue that polygyny creates a social imbalance where few, economically well-off men marry many wives and many poor men marry late or never. Hypothesis 1a: The greater an ethnic group’s share of common borders with polygynous neighboring groups, the higher their risk of intergroup conflict.

Results

Conclusion