# Understanding Violent Contagion
This study investigates whether anti-government violence exhibits spatial dependence across state boundaries. It specifically asks how much cross-national diffusion occurs and examines the role of information in this process.
### Communication Technology: The Missing Link
The article argues that while communication technology provides actors with awareness of conflicts elsewhere, its impact on emulation has been previously overlooked due to a focus on large-scale conflicts like civil wars.
### New Methodology
It introduces an innovative spatial connectivity matrix incorporating both geographic contiguity and access to modern communication technologies as key variables.
## Results in Africa (2000-2011)
Analyzing all anti-government violence incidents across 44 African countries during this period, the research finds support for its argument that information dissemination plays a crucial role in cross-border violent emulation.
Key Findings & Implications
* Violence transmission isn't just physical proximity-based but significantly influenced by communication access.
* Emulation requires awareness; increased info channels enhance contagion potential even across borders.
* This nuanced understanding offers new insights for conflict prevention policy.
| Does Information Lead to Emulation? Spatial Dependence in Anti-Government Violence was authored by Cameron Wimpy and Blake E. Garcia. It was published by Cambridge in PSR&M in 2016. |
