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How Radio Affects Violent Conflict: New Evidence from Rwanda

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  • Hollie Nyseth Nzitatira
  • Trey Billing
  • Jared F. Edgerton

Abstract

Researchers have long debated how radio broadcasts affected the dynamics of the 1994 genocide in Rwanda, with some arguing that the radio was highly consequential, and others suggesting such effects have been overstated. This article contributes to these debates—as well as to debates regarding the role of old and new media in collective action—by examining whether and how Radio Télévision Libre des Mille Collines (Radio RTLM) coverage was associated with two core aspects of the violence: (1) subnational onset of genocidal violence and (2) participation in genocidal violence across subnational spaces. Drawing on new data on Radio RTLM coverage, we find that areas with coverage were more likely to experience immediate onset of violence. However, our analysis of participation in the genocide—which uses more accurate measures of participation and of radio coverage than prior studies—finds no significant association between Radio RTLM coverage and subnational levels of participation. After illustrating that these results are robust to numerous model specifications, we theorize that information broadcast over the radio’s airways contributed to the creation of a critical mass that initiated genocide in localized spaces. We conclude by considering the importance of understanding the role of media in the subnational onset of violence.

Suggested Citation

  • Hollie Nyseth Nzitatira & Trey Billing & Jared F. Edgerton, 2024. "How Radio Affects Violent Conflict: New Evidence from Rwanda," American Sociological Review, , vol. 89(5), pages 876-906, October.
  • Handle: RePEc:sae:amsocr:v:89:y:2024:i:5:p:876-906
    DOI: 10.1177/00031224241278905
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Paluck, Elizabeth Levy & Green, Donald P., 2009. "Deference, Dissent, and Dispute Resolution: An Experimental Intervention Using Mass Media to Change Norms and Behavior in Rwanda," American Political Science Review, Cambridge University Press, vol. 103(4), pages 622-644, November.
    2. Cyanne E Loyle & Christian Davenport, 2020. "Some left to tell the tale: Finding perpetrators and understanding violence in Rwanda," Journal of Peace Research, Peace Research Institute Oslo, vol. 57(4), pages 507-520, July.
    3. Alex Armand & Paul Atwell & Joseph F. Gomes, 2020. "The Reach of Radio: Ending Civil Conflict through Rebel Demobilization," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 110(5), pages 1395-1429, May.
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