Engaged Graduate Student Grants
Interethnic Tolerance Levels in Kenya
Assessing interethnic tolerance in Kaptembwar, a volatile area of Kenya, by studying social workers of varying ethnic identities who come in meaningful contact with low tolerance individuals.
Interethnic tolerance levels in Kenya remain one of the lowest among African countries. In this project, Gaurav Inder Singh Toor, a graduate student in government, is conducting a study to determine if repeated exposure to people of different ethnicities who provide beneficial information improves tolerance levels among residents of Kaptembwar, a densely populated informal housing area in Nakuru, Kenya. Toor will collaborate with Greenthumbs, a community-based organization, to conduct a survey-based randomized control trial. In the first stage, the interviewers and respondents will be co-ethnics. After recognizing individuals with lower interethnic tolerance, he will equally divide the group in phase two. Although, both groups will receive the same beneficial information over a few months regarding health, education and other social issues, the identity of the social worker providing the information will be different. While one group will be assigned co-ethnic social workers, the other group will receive information from social workers of another ethnic group. The original interviewers will then ask the respondents they initially spoke to the same questions from the first stage. Toor will then analyze any changes to the answers and find reasons for them.
Topics: Access, Equity and Justice; Culture, Language and History
The Team
- Graduate student: Gaurav Inder Singh Toor, government
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Special committee chair:
Nicolas van de Walle, Department of Government
College of Arts and Sciences
- Community partner: Greenthumbs