Can Community Policing Increase State Legitimacy After Conflict? Evidence from Iraq

• In Event: Rebel and Government Institutions in Civil War

Abstract

After conflicts in which rebel groups control and govern territory for years, how can states rebuild legitimacy in formerly rebel-held areas? Previous research suggests that community policing programs can promote mutual trust and cooperation between state security forces and civilians in post-conflict settings. This study is the first experimental impact evaluation of a community policing program in Iraq, which is a vitally important case for the study of sustainable peace-building. Through two different field experiments in 13 communities recently recaptured from the Islamic State, this study—implemented through a research partnership with between the United Nations’ International Organization for Migration (IOM) and Yale University in cooperation with Iraq’s Interior Ministry—will identify the effects of a community policing program on important outcomes including: civilians’ attitudes and behaviors toward police; their perceptions of the legitimacy of the Iraqi government; police officers’ attitudes and behaviors toward civilians; and the prevalence of crime and violence. Given the importance of the Iraqi case as a testing ground for post-conflict stabilization and peace- building interventions, this community policing program—if found to be an effective tool for peace-building, dispute resolution, and conflict prevention—could become an important and replicable model for other war-torn societies where there is an urgent need for trust-building between civilians and state security forces.

Author

• Mara Revkin, Yale University