### Research Context
Recent studies suggested that political exclusion of ethnic groups fuels civil conflict, but this research counters critics who claim endogeneity issues may skew these findings.
### Novel Approach
We analyze historical colonial rule's impact by examining differences between French and British colonies. This method isolates the effect of postcolonial power-sharing arrangements from potential conflict triggers.
### Key Findings
Our results show political inclusion significantly reduces conflict risk, a finding understated in prior research.
### Policy Implications
These findings suggest policymakers should consider inclusive governance structures as effective tools for maintaining peace.
| Who Inherits the State? Colonial Rule and Postcolonial Conflict was authored by Julian Wucherpfennig, Philipp Hunziker and Lars-Erik Cederman. It was published by Wiley in AJPS in 2016. |
