Political Violence in Democracies

Session Submission Type: In-Person Full Paper Panel

Session Description

In the words of Abraham Lincoln, democracies are defined by the fact that, “The ballot is stronger than the bullet.” And yet, political violence remains an enduring feature of democratic political life. This panel brings together scholars of repression, insurgency, terrorism, peacebuilding, and electoral participation to present new findings into this growing body of research in the study of political violence and democratic politics.

Using historical data on lynching in the United States, Conrad, Ritter, and Trounstine examine the conditions under which democratic leaders permit citizens to engage in violent repression against their fellow citizens, arguing that private repression—or citizen-on-citizen violence—emerges as part of a strategic calculus undertaken by democratic leaders. Daly takes up the question of when—and why—citizens vote for violence-tainted political parties? Using survey evidence from Colombia, Daly finds that a history of violence may provide voters with a heuristic about future social stability, as parties with a record of military victory may gain credibility as “strong” types with an ability to quell unrest. Findley, Young, and Kaplan also present new survey evidence from Colombia to explore how the demobilization and reintegration of ex-combatants affects civilian attitudes. Using data on ex-combatant demobilization in dozens of municipalities across the country, the authors find evidence of significant changes in public attitudes in communities that host demobilized fighters. Finally, drawing on original data on political assassinations in post-apartheid South Africa, Pierson finds that credible attacks against elected officials increase voter turnout and political competition, and that these effects are primarily concentrated among targeted politicians’ local constituencies.

Sub Unit

• Division 21: Conflict Processes

Individual Presentations

• Outsourcing Repression - Courtenay R. Conrad, University of California, Merced; Emily Hencken Ritter, Vanderbilt University; Jessica Luce Trounstine, University of California, Merced

• Mitigating the Past, Securing the Future: How Bloodstained Parties Win Elections - Sarah Zukerman Daly, Columbia University

• Ex-Combatant Demobilization and Support for Peace: Quasi-Experiment in Colombia - Michael Findley, University of Texas, Austin; Joseph K. Young, American University; Oliver Kaplan, University of Denver

• Political Assassinations and Voter Participation: Evidence from South Africa - Patrick Pierson, Emory

Chair

• Aila M. Matanock University of California-Berkeley

Discussants

• Danielle F. Jung Emory University

• Deniz Aksoy Washington University in St. Louis