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Distributional conflicts are conflicts over who gets what and how much they get. The item to be distributed is usually tangible -- money, land, better houses, better schools, or better jobs, for example. But the item to be distributed can be intangible as well. For example, siblings competing for a parent's love could be considered a distributional conflict. (Although the parents would likely argue that there is plenty of love to go around, the children may not see it that way.)
Julia Chaitin reflections on the land distribution problem in Israel/Palestine.
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Distributional conflicts only become problems when there is not enough to go around. If there is plenty for everyone, then everyone takes what they need or want, and no conflict develops. But when there is not enough to satisfy everyone, and no more can be found or created, the conflict becomes a "win-lose" situation, meaning the more one party gets (that is, "wins"), the less the other party gets (or the more he or she "loses"). When the item to be lost is very important or valuable, these conflicts tend to become very intractable.
The conflict over Jerusalem, for example, is at least in part a high stakes distributional conflict. The land -- with its historical and religious significance -- is immeasurably valuable. Yet it cannot be expanded, and there is no way for one group to control it themselves without the other groups who care about the city "losing." In theory, the different groups could share control, of course, but that is very difficult to accomplish in reality, as each of the parties has, as least so far, viewed shared control as a "loss."
Conflicts over water in arid lands are also high-stakes classic distributional conflicts. In the Western United States, as well as many other arid regions, water is extremely valuable, as life cannot exist without it, and again, there is not enough to go around. Here we have endless conflicts over who gets how much water for what purpose. Although the individual disputes get resolved and a dam will get built or a city will be allowed to divert water out of a stream for its use, another dispute over the same water will almost certainly arise again later on.
The associated articles on rich-poor conflicts, and status conflicts describe the nature of those distributional conflicts in more detail. A third essay on land-tenure in the peace process describes both land ownership as a cause of conflict, and how ownership disputes are dealt with in the peacebuilding and peacemaking process.
Use the following to cite this article:
Burgess, Heidi. "High-Stakes Distributional Issues." Beyond Intractability. Eds. Guy Burgess and Heidi Burgess. Conflict Research Consortium, University of Colorado, Boulder. Posted: January 2004 <http://www.beyondintractability.org/essay/distribution_issues/>.
Sources of Additional, In-depth Information on this Topic
Additional Explanations of the Underlying Concepts:
Online (Web) Sources
Adan, Mohamud, Ruto Pkalya and Isabella Masinde. "Conflict in Northern Kenya: A Focus on the Internally Displaced Conflict Victims in Northern Kenya." Intermediate Technology Development Group, 2003.
Available at: Click here for more info.
This case study describes the nature of violent conflicts in the Northern districts of Kenya. It describes the causes and consequences attached to the conflicts, the actors involved and preventative measures that can be used to transform and prevent these violent episodes. Specifically, it examines how high-stakes distributional issues associated with land, water and other important resources fuels the conflicts.
Crawford, Beverly and Ronnie Lipschutz. "Policy Brief 2: "Ethnic" Conflict Isn't." , March 1995
Available at: http://igcc.ucsd.edu/pdf/policybriefs/pb02.pdf.
In this policy brief, the authors point out that "ethnic" and "sectarian" conflict are not caused by ethnicity or religion. Such conflicts occur when a country's "social contract" comes under pressure from both internal and external forces. When the global economy pressures governments to engage in rapid political and economic reform, ethnic and sectarian entrepreneurs mobilize constituencies around ethnic or religious differences in an attempt to grab or restore positions of power and wealth. Avoiding future episodes of "ethnic and sectarian conflict" requires early warning systems and intervention in societies undergoing rapid and destabilizing economic and political transitions.
Reclaiming Water as a Human Right and Community Resource. 2003.
Available at: http://www.aworldofpossibilities.com/details.cfm?id=130.
An interview with Tony Clarke, Helio Maltz, Oscar Olivera, and Carlos Todeschini. Fresh water, life's most essential ingredient, is becoming the private preserve and profit generator for a few who are charging for access to what once belonged to all. It seems almost inconceivable yet, in this program, you'll hear from those who are on the front lines in the opening struggles of what some are calling, "the coming water wars."
Offline (Print) Sources
Nafziger, E.W., Frances Stewart and R. Vayrynen, eds. War, Hunger and Displacement: The Origin of Humanitarian Emergencies--Volume One: Analysis. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2000.
The first volume of this work offers a collection of essays that explain the economic, political, and environmental factors that lead to international emergencies.
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Examples Illustrating this Topic:
Online (Web) Sources
Background Papers: Women's Land and Property Rights in Situations of Conflict and Reconstruction. United Nations Development Fund for Women.
Available at: http://www.unifem.org/filesconfirmed/69/204_background.pdf.
This site has several papers that examine Women's property rights. Beyani explores the history of women's land and property ownership in Africa and the key issues that surround this topic today. Mwagiru examines three case studies of Women's property rights in Eastern Africa, and Waterhouse examines one case study in Mozambique. Santiago delves into the socio-economic and cultural factors that affect women's rights to land in the Asia-Pacific Region, Worby describes how women in Guatemala organized to re-affirm their right to land, and Sabimbona discusses the problems displaced and returnee women face in Burundi with its current land tenure laws.
Chandran, Suba and Mallika Joseph. "India: The Naxalite Movement." , 2002
Available at: Click here for more info.
This article describes the decades-old Naxalite movement of rural India, which is aimed at liberating territory from feudal and capitalist exploitation. The paper discusses the ways in which the government has dealt with this movement.
van Beurden, Jos. "Kenya: Small Scale Conflicts Could Have Major Repercussions." , 2000
Available at: Click here for more info.
This article examines Kenya's history of small internal conflicts (ethnic and political) and addresses the question of why they have never led to an all-out civil war.
Mateeva, Anna. "Nagorno Karabach: A Straightforward Territorial Conflict." , 2002
Available at: Click here for more info.
This article details the dynamics of the conflict over Nagorno-Karabach in which ethnic Armenians have been struggling for control since the late 1980s. There have been a variety of attempts to mediate this conflict, particularly in the form of multi-track diplomacy, but as of 2002 it remained at a stalemate.
Ekeh, Raphael Chirna. "Nigeria: Aguleri-Umuleri Conflict - The Theatre of Fratricidal War." , 1999
Available at: Click here for more info.
This is an article about the land dispute in Nigeria between the Aguleri and the Umuleri, which is rooted in the pre-colonial social dynamics of the region.
van Beurden, Jos. "Somalia: From Permanent Conflict to More Peacefulness?." , 2000
Available at: Click here for more info.
This article profiles the dynamics of the conflict in Somalia, which is rooted in socio-cultural and economic status differences between people living a traditional pastoral lifestyle and the authority of the modern state. The article discusses peacemaking efforts that have been carried out in Somalia as well.
Suliman, Mohamed. The Nuba Mountains of Sudan: Resource Access, Violent Conflict, and Identity. The International Development Research Centre.
Available at: http://www.idrc.ca/en/ev-27982-201-1-DO_TOPIC.html.
This essay gives a detailed case study of the conflict between the Baggara and the Nuba in Sudan. It argues that economic scarcity, rather than a clash of ethnic identities, was the primary cause the conflict, but that as the conflict continued, memories of the initial causes of the conflict began to fade and ethnic identity became an increasingly important factor in the maintenance of the conflict.
Offline (Print) Sources
Stewart, Frances, R. Vayrynen and E.W. Nafziger, eds. War, Hunger and Displacement: The Origin of Humanitarian Emergencies--Volume Two: Case Studies. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2000.
The second volume of this work presents in-depth case studies of thirteen conflicts that occurred as a result of political or economic weakness within a state.
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Audiovisual Materials on this Topic:
Online (Web) Sources
The Mideast: A Century of ConflictPart 2: The Balfour Declaration and the British Mandate. NPR. October 1, 2002.
Available at: http://www.npr.org/news/specials/mideast/history/index.html.
This audio clip discusses the creation of Israel under British control in Palestine. Violence broke out between the Zionist settlers and the indigenous Palestinian Arabs from the very beginning.
Offline (Print) Sources
A. Philip Randolph: For Jobs and Freedom . Directed and/or Produced by: James, Dante. California Newsreel. 1996.
This film documents what transpired during the U.S. civil rights movement. It focuses on a moderate civil rights leader who helped to bridge party differences in the quest for equal access to education, jobs, and other important resources. Click here for more info.
El Otro Lado / The Other Side . Directed and/or Produced by: Webb, Alex. First Run Icarus Films. 1993.
This film looks at the Mexico-US border from the perspective of those living on both sides it. Click here for more info.
Kaiso for July 27th . Directed and/or Produced by: Martinez, Karen. First Run Icarus Films. 1991.
This film examines economic factors that may have played a part in the July 27, 1990 coup attempt in Trinidad and Tobago.
Click here for more info.
Time Immemorial . Directed and/or Produced by: Brody, Hugh. First Run Icarus Films. 1991.
This film focuses on an indigenous tribe in British Columbia, the Nisga'a, and their battle for land rights. Click here for more info.
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