journal article

Is Separatism as Contagious as the Common Cold or as Cancer? Testing the International and Domestic Determinants of Secessionism

by R. William Ayres and Stephen M. Saideman

Nationalism and Ethnic Politics
vol. 6, iss. 3
pp. 92 - 114
Fall 2000

Analysts frequently argue that ethnic conflict in general, and separatism in particular, is contagious. This article develops the logic of diffusion and then considers the role potentially played by domestic political dynamics. The article then tests external and internal dynamics by applying logistic regressions to the Minorities at Risk Dataset., phase III We find that while domestic factors perform somewhat better by themselves, when combined into one model, each argument helps to explain why some groups seek separation while others do not.