ABSTRACT
This chapter demonstrates the need for an integrative approach to explaining institutional change and collective violence. It provides an analysis and discussion of the two theories that constitute the foundation of the integrative theory. The core assumptions of historical institutionalism and prospect theory are provided, as well as the primary obstacle each encounters in explaining variations in choice behavior. The chapter then turns to the ways in which the combination of the theories resolves the obstacles, along with the theoretical difficulties associated with extant explanations of collective violence in Rwanda and Burundi. Building on the combined insights of both theories, it details a theory of collective violence centered on the connection between institutional legacies, the process of democratization and individual perception. Discussion is also provided concerning the advantages an amalgamation of both theories has for the discipline of political science more generally.
