Conflict Diamonds: A New Dataset

Authors: Gilmore, Elisabeth¹; Gleditsch, Nils²; Lujala, Päivi³; RØd, Jan⁴

Source: Conflict Management and Peace Science, Volume 22, Number 3, Fall 2005 , pp. 257-272(16)

Publisher: Routledge, part of the Taylor & Francis Group

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Abstract:

Natural resources, and diamonds especially, are commonly believed to play a significant role in the onset and duration of armed civil conflict. Although there is ample case study evidence that diamonds and similar resources have been used by rebel groups to finance fighting, there are few systematic empirical studies assessing the role of lootable resources in civil conflict. This is largely due to lack of reliable data on production and location. In this article we discuss priorities for the collection of data on conflict-relevant resources and introduce a new dataset, DIADATA, that provides a comprehensive list of diamond deposits accompanied by geographic coordinates throughout the world. The dataset includes characteristics relevant to conflict such as production status and geological form of the deposit. Particularly important is the distinction between primary and secondary diamonds, because the latter are more easily lootable. The dataset incorporates a spatial as well as a temporal dimension.

Keywords: diamonds; natural resources; armed conflict

Document Type: Research article

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/07388940500201003

Affiliations: 1: Department of Engineering and Public Policy, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA 2: Centre for the Study of Civil War PRIO Oslo, Norway and Department of Sociology and Political Science, Norwegian Institute of Science and Technology (NTNU), Trondheim, Norway 3: Department of Economics Norwegian, University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Trondheim, Norway 4: Department of Geography, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Trondheim, Norway

Publication date: 2005-09-01