POWER PARITY, DEMOCRACY, AND THE SEVERITY OF INTERNAL VIOLENCE

This study applies insights from the power parity and the democratic p eace perspectives to the issue of internal political violence. These t wo international relations perspectives translate well to the domain o f domestic politics. Relative parity of resources between the governme nt and the opposition are shown to lead to higher levels of violence. Democratic countries with highly competitive and participatory institu tions are able to mitigate: violent conflict within their borders. Eff icient governments preserve domestic peace regardless of institutional format. Results of the study suggest that violence is generated by si milar changes in both domestic and world politics.