Self-determination (SD) disputes are some of the most common conflicts in the world. While the literature has mainly focused on the most violent conflicts, such as civil wars, recent studies have acknowledged the diversity of strategies adopted by groups within SD movements, and the need for better data to study those heterogeneous movements and strategies.
The indigenous groups in The Americas are one kind of SD movement often cited in the literature but only few quantitative empirical studies about them exist. We present the Mapuche-Chilean State Conflict Events Database (MACEDA), a new database on the land-related conflict between the local indigenous population and the Chilean state. MACEDA is the first systematic record of the events related to this conflict since the return of democracy in 1990, with more than 2,600 entries until 2016, coded from local media. MACEDA codes the actions of mapuche and non-mapuche actors in attacks, demonstrations, land invasions, threats and state coercion following the standards of international event databases. We provide evidence that detailed data of a particular conflict, such as MACEDA, are useful for analysing the correlates of tactic choice and evolution by organisations within a particular SD movement.
Matteo Pazzona is a lecturer in the Department of Economics and Finance at Brunel University. His areas of research are crime, conflict, labour economics, and political economy. He holds a PhD in Economics from the University of York.
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