| dc.description.abstract | We develop a conflict model linking dissipation to the distribution of the population over an
arbitrary number of groups. We extend the pure contest version of the model by Esteban and
Ray (1999) to include a mixed public-private good. We analyze how the level of dissipation
changes as the population distribution and the share of publicness of the prize change. First,
we nd that, in case of pure private goods, the dissipation-distribution relationship resembles
the fractionalization index. This may explain the sensitiveness of empirical evidence on the
impact of ethnic diversity with respect to outcome (growth, incidence of civil wars) and index
(fractionalization, discrete polarization). Second, we nd that, in case of pure private goods,
smaller groups always contribute more and so the fractionalization index under-estimates their
weight. Indeed, we nd that the fractionalization index under-estimates the true level of
dissipation. | en |
