When do agricultural transformations impact social stability? Cash crops are typically associated with economic prosperity and social peace. I argue agricultural booms may spur violent conflict over resource allocation by pitting would-be producers against incumbent landowners when the gains from production are concentrated and the negative externalities are diffuse. I study the rapid expansion of oil palm in Indonesia, a growingly important crop in the global economy. I find when oil palm grows more valuable and expands within producing districts, violent resource conflicts increase. The positive relationship does not exist for other cash crops, nor other types of conflict, and is moderated by the presence of sustainability certified processing mills. The results connect commodity shocks to non-state violence over resources, and suggest land use change is an important mechanism connecting agricultural booms to social conflict.

中文翻译：

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油料作物与社会冲突：来自印度尼西亚的证据

农业转型何时影响社会稳定？经济作物通常与经济繁荣和社会和平有关。我认为，当生产收益集中且负外部性分散时，农业繁荣可能会通过潜在的生产者与现有的土地所有者之间的冲突，从而引发资源分配方面的暴力冲突。我研究了印度尼西亚油棕的快速扩张，这是一种在全球经济中日益重要的作物。我发现当油棕变得更有价值并在产区扩大时，激烈的资源冲突就会增加。其他经济作物和其他类型的冲突不存在这种正相关关系，并且通过可持续性认证的加工厂的存在来缓和。结果将商品冲击与非国家对资源的暴力联系起来，