Intraparty violence: A refined conceptualization and evidence from Africa and South Asia

This paper presents a research agenda on intraparty violence, identifying patterns distinct from electoral and nomination violence. I first develop a refined conceptual framework of linking intraparty violence to related concepts, then follow it to code intraparty violent events using the ACLED data. The analysis reveals three key empirical patterns: the relative levels of intra- vs. interparty violence vary considerably across countries in Africa and South Asia; in some contexts, intraparty violence constitutes a large share of party violence; and it is not merely confined to nomination periods but may occur throughout the electoral cycle. I also present an illustrative case study of Bangladesh, the highest intraparty violence context, which confirms the dominant presence of intraparty violence and its unique temporal placement and triggers.