How Territorial Boundaries Moderate the Effect of Autonomy on Ethnic Conflict — APSA Annual Conference 2021

At the 117th APSA Annual Meeting (virtual, September 30–October 3, 2021), I presented this paper examining how the territorial fit between administrative boundaries and ethnic settlement patterns shapes the pacifying potential of regional autonomy arrangements. I argued that only unified ethnic autonomy — where a minority governs a single demographically homogeneous region — consistently reduces separatist mobilization, while fragmented and non-ethnic autonomy often fail to address groups' underlying aspirations or can generate new grievances.