Evaluating the Predictive Powers of Country-level Indicators on Police Legitimacy in Africa: A Multilevel Multinational Analysis

• In Event: Perceptions of Police Across the Globe

Abstract

Using data obtained from multiple sources, with 41,199 individuals nested in 29 countries, a multilevel analysis was conducted to predict the effects of country level variables on police legitimacy. Results from the unconditional analysis suggest that a significant variation in police legitimacy was at country level. Of the individual predictors included, being employed, being satisfied with democracy, and being an urban dweller showed positive relations with legitimacy. Police illegitimacy was high among the old, people with prior victimization experience, and those who were fearful of crime. Among the country level predictors, countries’ level of democracy and peacefulness had significant relationship with legitimacy, whereas institutional corruption, impact of terrorism and rate of victimization did not. Policy implications of the findings are discussed.

Author

• Francis Danso Boateng, University of Minnesota Crookston