000			01370pab a2200193 454500
008			180718b2002 xxu||||| |||| 00| 0 eng d
100			_aEnglebert, Pierre
245			_aDismemberment and suffocation: a contribution to the debate on African boundaries
260			_c2002
300			_ap.1093-1118.
362			_aDec
520			_aDo African countries suffer from their arbitrary boundaries? The authors test several hypotheses from the debate on this question. They differentiate, one by one, the degree of arbitrariness of African boundaries along two axes: the extent to which they partition preexisting political groupings (dismemberment) and the degree to which they bring together distinct precolonial political cultures suffocation). They find that dismemberment is positively associated with international disputes and that suffocation magnifies the likelihood of civil wars, political instability, and secession attempts. The evidence appears to support claims that Africa has paid a substantial price for refusing to challenge some of the arbitrary boundaries it inherited from colonialism. The authors discuss the policy implications of their findings. - Reproduced.
650			_aBoundaries - Africa
650			_aBoundaries
700			_aCarter, Matthew
700			_aTarango, Stacy
773			_aComparative Political Studies
909			_a54935
999			_c54935 _d54935