Essays on Intragroup Processes in Intergroup Relations

Abstract

This dissertation studies the intragroup dynamics that guide the intergroup behavior and attitudes of groups in tension. The first essay develops a categorization for peace-building interventions and a theory of intragroup interventions. This essay presents an argument for why intragroup interventions have the potential to build peace in contexts where other interventions might fail. The subsequent two essays explore two very different but related contexts highlighting the importance of intragroup dynamics. In the second essay, I explore ingroup policing among Israeli Jews using two group-based experiments conducted in Haifa, Israel. The experiments explore what types of justifications for ingroup policing are most persuasive for other ingroup members, and they find that moral arguments come at a credibility cost for the one doing the policing. Lastly, in the third essay, I use a large-scale survey experiment to explore interventions to increase contributions to a collective good—drain cleaning—in slums in Delhi, India. The experiment finds that accountability mechanisms generally encourage Muslims, but not Hindus, to contribute more. I attribute this finding to Muslims’ desire to maintain ingroup respectability and avoid blame from others.