Civil War Boosts Community Action? New Field Evidence From Nepal Shows

Violence in conflict zones often shatters social bonds. But new field experiments show an unexpected outcome: war-torn communities in Nepal actually display higher levels of prosocial motivation.

Our approach combined lab-in-the-field techniques with a unique natural experiment leveraging matching strategies across isolated Nepalese communities. This allowed us to isolate causal effects amidst complex wartime dynamics.

Key findings reveal two distinct mechanisms driving increased social cohesion:

• A purging effect, where less socially inclined individuals flee war zones;
• A collective coping strategy, as those remaining band together due to limited escape options

These insights challenge conventional wisdom about conflict's impact on society and highlight surprising pathways toward resilience.