I also conducted research in other areas including International Relations, Comparative Political Economy and religious violence. Contributing to an ongoing debate of whether oil harms international peace, our study suggests that oil-rich and oil-dependent states indeed show a more aggressive foreign policy behavior and are more frequently involved in militarized interstate conflicts.

Collaborating on a project on the impact of religious factors on peace and conflict in Sub-Saharan Africa, we found empirical evidence for the so called “mobilization hypothesis”. Our results indicate that the overlapping of religious and ethnic identities increases the risk of armed conflict in Africa.