Management of horizontal inequalities in Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana and Nigeria: issues and policies

The political histories of countries in West Africa differ in terms of political instability, conflict and democracy. An important objective of CRISE’s work on this region has been to contrast experiences across countries and over time in order to improve understanding of why some countries have remained relatively peaceful while others have suffered serious violent conflict (either at the national or local level, or both). A particular focus of the centre’s research has been on horizontal inequalities (HIs) or inequalities between ‘culturally’ defined groups. This focus emerged because of increasing evidence that such inequalities can cause a range of political disturbances, including violent conflict and civil war (see, in particular, Stewart, 2008). Such HIs may be economic, social or political in nature or they may concern the ‘cultural’ status of different ethnic and/or religious groups. The CRISE West Africa team (composed of a multidisciplinary group of University of Oxford-based academics and a large number of local scholars) analysed the political histories and socio-political experiences of three countries in West Africa: Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana and Nigeria.