Government Legitimacy Amid Conflict: Evidence from the D.R. Congo

• In Event: Short- and Long-Term Implications of Violence for State/Society Relations

Abstract

How does civil conflict affect state legitimacy? Some scholars expect civil conflict always to undermine state legitimacy because it represents a failure of the state to provide security. Others argue that civil conflict can strengthen demand for a state and thus facilitate state building. We tackle this question by conducting a panel survey in Kananga, DRC, the midst of an ongoing civil conflict. We examine how individuals’ beliefs and behaviors about the state change when their ancestral villages are the site of a militia-government battle. We then investigate heterogeneous impacts of conflict based on which side is perceived to have initiated and won the battle, as well as the extent of civilian casualties. Finally, we examine how past exposure to militia-government violence in Kananga or in surrounding villages shapes responses to current conflict events.

Authors

• Augustin Bergeron

• Gabriel Tourek

• Jonathan Weigel