Doctoral Dissertation Research in Political Science: Institutions and Inter-ethnic Relations in Bosnia-Herzegovina

本文揭示了在种族分裂的社会中，不同的政治制度对个人层面的信任与合作倾向的影响。虽然学术界致力于了解在种族分裂的社会中导致暴力的制度条件，但对于一旦暴力成为必然结果，各机构可以做些什么来改善种族关系却知之甚少。波斯尼亚-黑塞哥维那是评估族裔冲突与合作理论的理想案例，该项目采用了一种新的实证分析方法来实现这一目的。本论文的研究提供了一个机会，将民族关系的一般理论跨越冲突前和冲突后的分界线。这项研究的经验性结论将有助于解决许多悬而未决的问题，即国际维持和平干预措施的有效性，以及重组多族裔国家以防止世界许多地区暴力种族冲突发生和重演的途径。因此，这项研究的理论、方法、经验和政策基础可以应用于波斯尼亚案例以外的冲突后环境，并标志着从角度来看真正具有全球性的研究方案的开始。在任何冲突后环境中，以前从未尝试使用调查和实验相结合的方法，因此，研究设计和由此产生的经验数据将作为目前未知研究领域的第一步。

This dissertation uncovers the effects of differing political institutions on individual-level propensities for trust and cooperation in ethnically-divided societies. Whereas much scholarly attention has been devoted to understanding the institutional conditions that lead to violence in ethnically-divided societies, very little is known about what institutions can do to improve ethnic-relations once violence is a foregone conclusion. Bosnia-Herzegovina represents an ideal case for evaluating theories of ethnic conflict and cooperation and this project employs a novel method of empirical analysis for achieving this purpose.This dissertation research provides an opportunity to link general theories of ethnic relations across the dividing line of pre- and post-conflict. Empirical findings from this study will help resolve many unanswered questions on the effectiveness of international peacekeeping interventions and avenues for restructuring multi-ethnic states to prevent the occurrence and reoccurrence of violent ethnic conflict in many parts of the world. As such, the theoretical, methodological-empirical, and policy bases of this research can be applied to post-conflict environments beyond the Bosnian case and mark the beginnings of a research program that is truly global in perspective. The use of combined survey and experimental methods has not been attempted before in any post-conflict environment, and therefore, the research design and the empirical data generated from it will serve as first steps in what is currently an uncharted area of research.