Peacebuilding and State Legitimacy: Evidence from Two Lab-in-the-Field Experiments in Liberia Robert A Blair Yale University Abstract: Legitimation of state authority lies at the heart of United Nations peacebuilding. Yet despite its importance as a concept, legitimacy remains notoriously difficult to measure. In this paper I posit a set of conditions under which legitimacy is distinguishable from other forms of suasion and control, then implement two lab-in-the-field experiments to isolate those conditions in Liberia, one of the world’s weakest states. My results yield both methodological and substantive contributions to the study of state legitimation. First, I show that legitimacy can indeed be measured, and that when a legitimate authority instructs them to do so, citizens will make costly contributions to a public good even in the absence of sanctions or rewards. Second, I show that prior exposure to peacebuilding enhances state legitimacy in the eyes of civilians. Finally, I show that while abuse of power undermines citizens’ support for all types of authority, the consequences of abuse are especially severe for peacebuilders themselves. Peacebuilders who abuse their power induce higher rates of cooperation among civilians, but civilians abused by peacebuilders are more likely to disapprove of their presence and to perceive their actions as unfair. papers.ssrn/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2326671
Posted on: Fri, 27 Sep 2013 19:23:22 +0000
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