Doctoral Dissertation Research in Political Science: Monopolies of Violence.

University Of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison WI

Investigators

Abstract

This project focuses on the practices of gangs in slums, which will soon incorporate a billion people worldwide. Although gangs' primary motivation is a monopoly of violence and the sale of drugs in these areas, many have engaged in various forms of governance over the local populace. This dissertation project will seek to delineate the causes of this variation and trace how and why gangs have engaged in such practices over time. In many slums, the state has been historically absent. In place of the state, gang organizations constitute the major political actors. Some gangs implement responsive systems of law and justice, while others do not. Eradicating or controlling gangs in these contexts requires taking into account the roles they play. This research will involve quantitative analysis of the structural factors that that may explain variations in gang governance, including policing tactics, incursions by rival gangs, strength of civil society, and the electoral value of the slum. The research will also include in-depth qualitative case studies, semi-structured interviews and resident surveys in order to better understand gang governance practices and trace them over time. This project will be able to argue for more explicit links and commonalities between various armed actors as well as clarify the impact of various contextual factors. Furthermore, this project will demonstrate how gangs have responded to changing circumstances over time that will provide a more dynamic account of gang governance. This project has important ramifications for urban public policy in much of the developing world in addition to engaging with important theoretical debates concerning armed groups and their relationships to civilians. Nearly half of the world lives in urban contexts and, soon, more than a billion people worldwide will live in slums and shantytowns. Gangs are present in many of these, and the types of relationships that gangs develop with residents remains the biggest determinant of basic economic welfare, provision of public goods, development of democratic practices and levels of vulnerability to violence and intimidation. Multiple states are actively confronting urban gangs and trafficking organizations and struggling to contain them. The assumption in public policy circles that gang presence and violence will automatically decrease with greater policing and provision of resources is problematic. This proposal suggests gangs are strategic and calculating players that can produce a variety of outcomes and will require a multifaceted and long-term approach in order to fully eradicate or control. The results from this project will be shared with both policymakers and academic audiences.