Replication data for: Social Distance in Bosnia and the North Caucasus Region of Russia

We examine ethnic divisions in conflict-affected and post-conflict societies. Conventional wisdom tells us that societies that have experienced violent struggles in which individuals of different ethnic groups have (been) mobilized against each other are likely to become ossified along ethnic lines. Indeed, both policy-makers and scholars often assume that such divisions are one of the main challenges that must be overcome to restore peace after war. We comparatively assess this hypothesis by mapping dimensions of social distance among 4,000 survey respondents in Bosnia and the North Caucasus region of Russia. The surveys were carried out in December 2005. Using multidimensional scaling, we do not find evidence for clear attitudinal cleavages among members of different ethnic groups in Bosnia. Nor do we find strong evidence for ethnic divisions in the North Caucasus, although our measurements of social distance reveal a difference between Russians and ethnic minority groups.