Police Legitimacy in Sub-Saharan Africa: Instrumental or Normative?

• In Event: Perceptions of Police Across the Globe

Abstract

In many developed nations, studies have demonstrated that police legitimacy is largely a function of whether citizens perceive treatment as normatively fair and respectful (Tyler, 2006; Jackson et al, 2012; Mazerolle et al, 2012). Questions remain whether this model holds in less developed contexts, where corruption (Tankebe, 2010; Jackson et al, 2014) and security challenges (Bradford et al, 2014) favor instrumental preferences for effective crime control and prevention. Support for (Kochel et al, 2013) and against (Tankebe, 2009) the normative model of legitimacy has been found in different developing countries, yet few have simultaneously compared these models across multiple developing countries (see Nivette, 2016). Using a multilevel framework and data from respondents in 29 countries in sub-Saharan Africa (n~45,000), I find initial evidence for the presence of both instrumental and normative influences in shaping the perceptions of police legitimacy. More importantly, the internal consistency of legitimacy (defined as obligation to obey, moral alignment, and perceived legality of the police) varies considerably from country to country, suggesting that relationships between legality, morality, and obligation operate differently across contexts. Finally, I conclude with theoretical and methodological implications for the generalizability of legitimacy research to developing countries.

Author

• Brandon Behlendorf, State University of New York at Albany