Institutional Changes to the Security Forces

• In Event: International Influence on Police and Military Reform

Abstract

Reforming the security sector is a vital component of peacebuilding and conflict prevention. As the institutions responsible for the rule of law and the protection of the government and its citizens, security institutions form the basic building blocks of state strength. However, as of yet, scholarship on security sectors remains underdeveloped. Reforms within the security sector are commonly examined as a monolith, which has obscured variations in the impact of security sector reforms. Institutional changes to security organizations could take the form of increased militarization through the creation of tactical, operational units or increased reform through oversight, professionalization and gender reforms. Under what conditions do these changes take place? We develop both a supply and demand side theory and test our theory on a novel dataset on institutional changes to the security sector from 1989-2019. Individual states opt for reform when they face domestic competition, but favor militarization when they face external threats. On the other hand international actors are suppliers of security sector assistance. They provide assistance based on their own interests. When the demand and supply converge, we are more likely to see adoption of certain institutional changes. Our findings imply that a disaggregated approach to understanding changes in the security sector is important for furthering our understanding of peace and conflict.

Authors

• Roya Izadi, University of Rhode Island

• Laura Huber, University of Mississippi

• Ruby French