Bibliographical review on the quantitative literature about civil war determinants

Abstract

Scholars almost never deal with civil wars as they do with interstate wars, even if the first type is a common phenomenon and much more people die because of it than in wars between countries. The civil wars quantitative literature is a new field of research, and it has taken shape recently, despite its theoretical weakness. Researchers of many areas engage themselves in this multi-disciplinary field, looking for its causes and determinants, contributing with public policies to avoid, or at least reduce, its effects and duration. Relevant variables associ­ated with civil wars are analyzed and the current bibliographical discussion is brought to the local reader, which has been apart from this academic debate.