Civilian Social Networks and State Repression: Evidence from Philippine Drug War

• In Event: Strategies of Repression and Resistance in Autocratic Regimes

Abstract

How do civilian social networks shape the targeting of state repression? Using data from the Philippine Drug War, I show that two aspects of civilian social networks are particularly important in determining which areas are targeted with violent arrests and killings: 1) individuals’ centrality in civilian social networks, which shapes information flows about violent repression and 2) civilian ties to local politicians, who have a lot of discretion over state targeting. I use a technique that relies on local naming conventions to build social networks between Philippine villages and neighborhoods and then overlay these networks with data on over 100,000 violent incidents associated with the Drug War. I show that the neighborhoods most heavily targeted by the police are ones where civilians are socially isolated from local politicians and from other civilians in neighborhoods around them. This suggests that the government is more concerned with the potential “backlash” from repression, even if it means adopting a strategy that does not maximize intimidation.

Author

• Dotan A Haim, Florida State University