Perceptions of Peace Agreements and Political Trust in Post-War Guatemala, Nepal, and Northern Ireland

Dyrstad, Karin; Bakke, Kristin M.; Binningsbø, Helga Malmin

doi:10.1080/13533312.2020.1869541

Cited by 13 publications

(10 citation statements)

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“…For a more detailed discussion of the conflicts, see Dyrstad et al (2021), but we note here that in all three cases, group inequalities played an important role in fueling the conflict in the first place. In Guatemala and Nepal, the rebels enjoyed support from marginalized groups, including rural indigenous people, lower castes, and ethnic minorities—and, indeed, Guatemala’s rural indigenous population was heavily targeted (Commission for Historical Clarification 1999).…”

Section: Case Selectionmentioning

confidence: 84%

Wartime Experiences and Popular Support for Peace Agreements: Comparative Evidence from Three Cases

Dyrstad

Binningsbø

Bakke

2022

Journal of Conflict Resolution

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Peace agreements are negotiated and signed by representatives of the government and the rebels, often after many years of violent conflict, but their ability to transform a war-torn society hinges on the approval of ordinary people. Yet we have little systematic knowledge of what ordinary people think of peace agreements in the long run. This study begins to fill that gap, drawing on a set of comparative public opinion surveys from Guatemala, Nepal, and Northern Ireland, three cases where long civil wars were ended by peace agreements. The peace agreements in these countries have strong popular support, though there is variation across specific provisions. Across these cases, our findings suggest that legacies of violence are not generally associated with long-term support for peace agreements. However, when we look at provisions that grant concessions to the rebels, there is some evidence of lasting legacies.

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Section: Case Selectionmentioning

confidence: 84%

Wartime Experiences and Popular Support for Peace Agreements: Comparative Evidence from Three Cases

Dyrstad

Binningsbø

Bakke

2022

Journal of Conflict Resolution

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“… 30 37 Distrust in the government has been shown to influence public behaviour in the context of major health threats. 37–39 Studies of trust in the COVID-19 vaccine in Latin America found that two of the most common contributors to vaccine hesitancy were distrust of the government and mistrust in the vaccine development process. 10 11 16 40 Mistrust in public health campaigns can lead to higher susceptibility to vaccine misinformation and myths.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The historical legacies and systemic health inequities have engendered distrust in the government and health systems by the Indigenous Maya populations 30 37. Distrust in the government has been shown to influence public behaviour in the context of major health threats 37–39. Studies of trust in the COVID-19 vaccine in Latin America found that two of the most common contributors to vaccine hesitancy were distrust of the government and mistrust in the vaccine development process 10 11 16 40.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Barriers to COVID-19 vaccine acceptance to improve messages for vaccine uptake in indigenous populations in the central highlands of Guatemala: a participatory qualitative study

Skinner

Sanders

Lopez³

et al. 2023

BMJ Open

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IntroductionAs of July 2022, a little over one-third of Guatemalans were fully vaccinated. While COVID-19 vaccination rates are not officially reported nationally by racial/ethnic groups, non-governmental organisations and reporters have observed that COVID-19 vaccination rates are especially low among high-risk Indigenous populations. We conducted one of the first studies on COVID-19 vaccine acceptance in Indigenous populations in the Central Highlands of Guatemala, which aimed to better understand the barriers to COVID-19 vaccine uptake and how to improve vaccine promotional campaigns.MethodsIn November 2021, we conducted eight focus group discussions (FGDs) with 42 Indigenous men and women and 16 in-depth interviews (IDIs) with community health workers, nurses and physicians in Chimaltenango and Sololá. Using a participatory design approach, our qualitative analysis used constant comparative methods to understand the inductive and deductive themes from the FGD and IDI transcripts.ResultsWe found three major overarching barriers to vaccination within the sampled population: (1) a lack of available easily understandable, linguistically appropriate and culturally sensitive COVID-19 vaccine information; (2) vaccine access and supply issues that prevented people from being vaccinated efficiently and quickly; and (3) widespread misinformation and disinformation that prey on people’s fears of the unknown and mistrust of the medical establishment and government.ConclusionWhen developing COVID-19 vaccine messages, content should be culturally relevant, appropriate for low-literacy populations and in the languages that people prefer to speak. Promotional materials should be in multiple modalities (print, radio and social media) and also have specific Maya cultural references (dress, food and concepts of disease) to ensure messaging connects with intended targets. This study supports the need for more robust research into best practices for communicating about COVID-19 vaccines to marginalised communities globally and suggests that policy makers should invest in targeted local solutions to increase vaccine uptake.

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“…The field’s lack of knowledge surrounding civilians’ perceptions of whether the government will implement the peace agreement is rather surprising because a growing body of literature that recognizes that civilians’ engagement with and acceptance of peace processes is critical for the sustainability of peace (Haass et al 2022). Indeed, despite the fact that peace agreements are primarily negotiated and ultimately signed by warring parties, how civilians perceive the peace process is central to the transition from war to peace (Dyrstad et al 2021, 607).…”

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confidence: 99%

Can Rebels Bolster Trust in the Government? Evidence from the Philippines

Breslawski

2022

Journal of Conflict Resolution

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Commitment problems make civil wars difficult to end. Research on overcoming commitment problems focuses on warring parties, however civilians’ perceptions are central to successful transitions from war to peace. While civilians residing in areas previously controlled by armed groups may be highly distrustful that governments will implement peace agreements, I argue that some armed groups are both motivated and capable of improving trust in the state. Using survey data from civilians in the Bangsamoro, Philippines, I show that civilians that experienced rebel security provision or rebel justice provision from the MILF are more likely to trust that the Government of the Philippines will fully implement the peace agreement than civilians that did not experience rebel governance provision.

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Perceptions of Peace Agreements and Political Trust in Post-War Guatemala, Nepal, and Northern Ireland

Abstract: Her research interests include popular support for political institutions and peace-building mechanisms, as well as the consequences of political violence on people's attitudes. Her work has been published in journals such as Journal of Conflict Resolution,

Cited by 13 publications

References 50 publications

Wartime Experiences and Popular Support for Peace Agreements: Comparative Evidence from Three Cases

Wartime Experiences and Popular Support for Peace Agreements: Comparative Evidence from Three Cases

Barriers to COVID-19 vaccine acceptance to improve messages for vaccine uptake in indigenous populations in the central highlands of Guatemala: a participatory qualitative study

Can Rebels Bolster Trust in the Government? Evidence from the Philippines

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