Chair:
Alina Greiner-Filsinger (University of Mannheim)
Presenters:
Marika Olijar (University of Wisconsin-Madison): Choosing Religious Nationalism (Co-authored with Steven Brooke, University of Wisconsin-Madison)
Religious groups perceived to “defend the nation” from external aggressors go on to wield substantial influence over policy (Grzymala-Busse, 2015). Why then do some churches defend the nation, while others remain neutral or even side with the aggressors? We examine this question in Ukraine, where starting in 2018 each of the country's Orthodox churches were given the option to publicly affiliate with either the Moscow Patriarchate or the newly created Orthodox Church of Ukraine. We model this church-by-church decision as a product of local political attitudes, state capacity, socioeconomic context, religious competition, and exposure to war violence. A number of findings stand out, including that the probability of “defending the nation”–switching to the Orthodox Church of Ukraine–is highest among churches that are physically smaller, located in less developed areas, are closer to nationalist churches that existed prior to 2018, and are in areas with greater political competition. Spatial models also show that being located near other Orthodox churches that switch strongly influence a church’s own decision to switch. Additional qualitative information provides further context to illustrate these findings and suggests a new focus on the role of priests.
Silvia Otero-Bahamon (Universidad del Rosario): The Legacies of Armed Conflict on Educational Outcomes: An Analysis of Colombian Communities
This study investigates how prior exposure to armed conflict is associated with negative educational outcomes in Colombian communities. While existing research emphasizes the detrimental effects of violence on education, we argue that the impacts of armed conflict extend beyond violence alone. Even when violence is low or absent in a local community, armed groups may still be present and their behaviors can influence individuals, families, and the entire community, affecting education long after armed groups are gone. We compare a random sample of local communities previously exposed to armed group presence with communities that were not, and which, according to census data, had similar developmental levels before the conflict. We measure wartime dynamics through original data collected from surveys, interviews, and focus groups, and educational outcomes using standardized test scores and data from an original survey conducted in 2021. We also study life-long educational trajectories by matching standardized tests from elementary and secondary school with tertiary-level information.
