Traditional Authorities and Strategies in Demands for Self-Determination.

This article examines how traditional authorities (TAs)—customary political institutions governing subnational ethnic groups—affect the strategies ethnic groups use in demands for self-determination (SD) from states. Using global data from 2005 to 2015, the study finds that groups with TAs are significantly more likely to escalate conflicts into violence, particularly large-scale violence, compared to groups without such institutions. However, when TAs have institutionalized internal accountability mechanisms that allow for the removal of leaders, the likelihood of violent escalation decreases. Additionally, state-level factors such as multiparty elections providing political access and constitutional recognition of TAs moderate and reduce the propensity for violence. The findings highlight the complex interplay between customary group institutions and national state structures in shaping conflict outcomes in SD disputes.