Can Democratic Agency Reduce Extremism? Evaluating a Somalia Field Experiment

• In Event: What Policies Effectively Reduce Violent Extremism?

Abstract

This randomized, placebo-controlled trial investigates whether an intervention designed to promote an individual sense of reconciliation and political agency can reduce the appeal of anti-Western violent extremist organizations (VEOs) among internally displaced communities in Somalia. We design and test an intervention that trains and encourages Somalis to develop forgiveness skills, and to engage with civil society organizations that are active in foreign policy issues relevant to their lives. We recruit participants in communities within IDP camps located in Kismayo, Baidoa, and Dhobley in South Central Somalia and randomize them into one of three treatment arms, using a cross-over design in order to test the two primary components of the intervention individually, and then jointly. We compare treated participants with those assigned to a placebo in the form of an existing United Nations Mine Action Service mine education/awareness program.

Authors

• Peter B. Vining, Naval Postgraduate School

• Prabin Khadka, University of Essex

• Michael James Gilligan, New York University