Justice, Policing, & Security: Quasi & Experimental Evidence from Latin America

Session Submission Type: Full Paper Panel

Session Description

Compared to other regions, Latin America is the most violent region in the world as it suffers a severe problem of crime-related violence and lack of effective judicial systems. In this context, this panel approaches the Latin American security crisis from a comparative perspective using experimental and quasi-experimental methods. A filed experiment in Colombia analyzes the influence of Police Inspectors on the rule of law at the community level. A conjoint experiment in Mexico and in the United States evaluates the determinants of support for militarized policing--an increasingly widespread phenomenon. In addition, a quasi-experimental study explores exogenous variations in deportation patterns to Central America in order to assess the effect of gang activity on different dimensions of state development. Finally, another field experiment evaluates the effect of a randomized policy intervention to reduce pre-trial detentions in El Salvador. In this way, the papers presented in this panel offer valuable lessons to better diagnose the security and justice challenges affecting the Latin American region and explore promising government courses of action.

Sub Unit

• DIVISION 12: Comparative Politics in Developing Countries

Cosponsor

• DIVISION 26: Law and Courts

Individual Presentations

• Restoring the Rule of Law After Civil War: A Field Experiment in Colombia - Robert A. Blair, Brown University; Michael Lee Weintraub, Universidad de los Andes; Andres Vargas, Yale University

• Explaining Support for Militarizing Law Enforcement with Conjoint Experiments - Jessica Zarkin, Cornell; Gustavo A. Flores-Macias, Cornell University

• Gangs, State Capacity, and Development - Maria Micaela Sviatschi; Carlos Schmidt-Padilla, University of California at Berkeley

• Reducing PreTrial Detention: Evidence from Randomized Intervention in El Salvador - Javier Osorio, University of Arizona; Michael Lee Weintraub, Universidad de los Andes; Reynaldo T. Rojo Mendoza, San Diego State University

Chair

• Courtenay R. Conrad University of California, Merced

Discussant

• Lucia Tiscornia CIDE -- Mexico City