Do Young Gong was one of our recipients of our CEAPS Travel Grant.
She will be speaking at our virtual only brown bag event. Please register and join us to hear her talk!
About the Speaker:
Do Young Gong is a Ph.D. Candidate in Political Science at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Her research interests include armed conflicts, political violence, and leader survival. She holds a B.A. in English and Political Science and an M.A. in Political Science from Ewha W. University. Her research has appeared in International Studies Quarterly, World Development, and International Review of Public Administration.
Abstract:
This paper examines how the most common form of government instability—coup attempts—affects both the short-term and long-term management of civil wars. Despite existing studies' efforts to move beyond the unitary actor assumption, most research has focused on the impact of rebel group instability on civil war management; our understanding of the role of government instability in the dynamics of war bargaining remains limited. I argue that wartime coup attempts, whether successful or failed, incentivize the government to cease hostilities with rebels and prioritize defense against internal challenges. This may lead to an increased likelihood of ceasefires following coup attempts. Nevertheless, coup attempts may exacerbate both commitment and information problems, hindering long-term resolution. The hypotheses are supported by tests using a dataset on ceasefires from 1989 to 2012 and war termination from 1946 to 2018.
