(iPoster) Political Globalization and Monopoly on the Use of Force in 21st Century Africa

• In Event: Poster Session: New Perspectives in Political Science Research: Scholarship by Vanderbilt REU Students

Abstract

Historically, scholars have characterized a state's monopoly on the use of force as a crucial feature of the modern state, arguing that by controlling violence, the state enforces its legitimacy and demonstrates its capacity to establish order. Previous scholarship has argued that strong international organizations diminish a state’s monopoly on force due to their increasing role of managing localized conflict. This project examines the relationship between political globalization and a state's monopoly of force in African countries. Do African countries decrease their monopoly on violence as foreign actors increase their role in local politics through international institutions? I identify variables from the KOF Index of Globalization and Bertelsmann Transformation Index to examine this relationship. This research can provide insight on how the legacies of imperialism manifest in post-colonial states through the practices of international institutions.

Author

• Zoe Williams, Howard University