Commitment to the “National†in Post-Conflict Countries: Public and Private Security Provision in Lebanon

Melani Cammett, Christiana Parreira, Dominika Kruszewska-Eduardo and Sami Atallah

Journal of Conflict Resolution, 2022, vol. 66, issue 7-8, 1235-1262

Abstract: A core function of contemporary states is to ensure the security of their citizens. Yet in many post-conflict settings, non-state actors provide security alongside the state, typically prioritizing their own ascriptive groups and potentially undercutting a sense of national political community. When do citizens prefer group-specific versus national security? While most studies focus on individual psychological factors, we argue that group-level characteristics also shape political preferences. Based on a conjoint experiment in Lebanon, we explore the relative appeal of group-specific versus national pledges to assure protection. We find that respondents view national security provision quite positively, while members of communities with stronger group-specific security simultaneously favor private provision. Individuals with closer ties to credible group security providers are also more likely to prefer those services. Citizens therefore do not see a clear trade-off between private and public protection, while group-specific legacies mediate heterogeneity in support for pluralist security provision.

Keywords: ethnic politics; political violence; security; political parties; voter behavior; conjoint analysis; public opinion; Middle East; Lebanon (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:sae:jocore:v:66:y:2022:i:7-8:p:1235-1262

DOI: 10.1177/00220027221079401

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