Djankov, SimeonReynal-Querol, Marta2012-03-302012-03-302010Review of Economics and Statistics00346535https://hdl.handle.net/10986/5665Previous research has interpreted the correlation between per capita income and civil war as evidence that poverty is a main determinant of conflict. In this paper, we find that the relationship between poverty and civil war is spurious and is accounted for by historical phenomena that jointly determine income evolution and conflict. In particular, the statistical association between poverty and civil wars disappears once we include country fixed effects. Also, using cross-section data for 1960 to 2000, we find that once historical variables like European settler mortality rates and the population density in 1500 are included in civil war regressions, poverty does not have an effect on civil wars. These results are confirmed using longer time series from 1825 to 2000.ENConflictConflict ResolutionAlliances D740Measurement and Analysis of Poverty I320Economic History: Labor and Consumers, Demography, Education, Health, Welfare, Income, Wealth, Religion, and Philanthropy: General, International, or Comparative N300Economic History: Government, War, Law, International Relations, and Regulation: General, International, or Comparative N400Economic Development: Human ResourcesHuman DevelopmentIncome DistributionMigration O150Formal and Informal SectorsShadow EconomyInstitutional Arrangements O170Journal ArticleWorld Bank