Assistance in chronic conflict areas: evidence from South Sudan

Abstract

People living in contexts affected by conflict suffer from many forms of deprivation. Failure in the delivery of assistance can translate into the further deterioration of their conditions. This paper combines a geo- referenced household dataset collected in South Sudan in 2017 with information on conflict events from the ACLED. The collection of data in areas extensively affected by violence fills an important gap in the litera- ture. We analyse conflict exposure and test the link with humanitarian assistance. We find that people living in high-intensity conflict areas received less assistance. We suggest social elites and marginalisation as a possible explanation.