Political Parties and Non-State Security Provision in Lebanon

• In Event: The Local Politics of Service Provision in the Middle East and North Africa (Pre-Recorded)

Abstract

Security is the canonical public good provided by the state to its citizens. Yet, many states, especially those in the late developing world, are incapable or unwilling to provide security in a consistent fashion across their territory. The provision of security, order, and management of crime is a crucial “good” that parties can and do offer their constituents, particularly in divided and insecure societies. This leads to widespread variation in security and policing at the neighborhood level. What explains this variation in the provision of security and local policing by political parties? Why do certain parties defer to the state for security as opposed to providing their own security measures? This paper asserts that the organizational structure of political parties shapes their attitudes towards the state, which determines whether a party will step into the role of local security provider. Drawing on 131 interviews conducted during 8 months of fieldwork in Lebanon, this study conceptualizes two distinct types of policing and security guided by different political logics. It argues that political parties with strong organizational cohesion among members and robust linkages with constituent communities at the local level are more likely to adopt an antagonistic attitude towards the state and provide both types of security provision. Parties that lack the requisite organizational structure are more likely to favor working through state institutions to provide policing.

Author

• Kelly Stedem, Roanoke College