Restoring Confidence in Post-Conflict Security Sectors: Survey Evidence from Liberia on Female Ratio Balancing Reforms

Abstract

Civilian confidence in domestic institutions, particularly in the security sector, is important for stability and state consolidation in post-conflict countries, where third-party peacekeepers have helped maintain peace and security after a conflict. While other scholars have suggested that a strong security sector is necessary for mitigating the credible commitment problem, this article provides two alternative criteria for assessing security sector reforms’ effect on confidence in the security sector: restraint and inclusiveness. Female ratio balancing in the security sector meets these two criteria, suggesting that it has the potential to help enhance confidence in the security sector and thereby create the right conditions for the peacekeeping transition. The argument is tested using original surveys conducted in post-conflict, ex-combatant communities in Liberia. The expectations received empirical support. The findings indicate that restraining and inclusive reforms could improve trust in the state’s security sector. They also demonstrate the importance of considering gender in theories related to post-conflict peace building and international relations more broadly.

Relational State Building in Areas of Limited Statehood: Experimental Evidence on the Attitudes of the Police

“…Thus, by interacting with female officers, women’s priors about the police are positively updated. Within policing, scholars have found, for example, that when female officers are added, women are more likely to report crimes and perceptions of the police improve (Karim 2017; Keiser, WilkinsMeier, and Holland 2002; Leger 1997; Natarajan 2016).…”

Representation in Healthcare Institutions Promotes Intergroup Tolerance: Evidence from the COVID-19 Crises in Israel and the US

“…In line with these theoretical frameworks, scholars have linked descriptively representative public institutions with improved policing (Nanes 2018), enhanced education (Keiser et al 2002), beneficial health outcomes (Alsan, Garrick and Graziani 2018), organizational efficiency (Rasul and Rogger 2015;Fernandez, Koma and Lee 2018), reduced bias in voter registration processes (Neggers 2018), and more lenient court decisions (Grossman et al 2016). More so, scholars have demonstrated that even when lacking action from a civil servant, information about the mere presence of an underrepresented group within an institution can foster trust, perceived legitimacy, and willingness to coproduce amongst citizens (Karim 2019;Theobald and Haider-Markel 2008;Riccucci, Van Ryzin and Lavena 2014;Riccucci, Van Ryzin and Li 2016).…”

Framing the Narrative: Female Fighters, External Audience Attitudes, and Transnational Support for Armed Rebellions

“…Securing support from such groups can generate both direct benefits, such as the provision of material and economic resources to the group, and indirect benefits, including advocacy and lobbying efforts aimed at shaping the position of governments toward the conflict. Our argument therefore builds on existing literature that critically analyzes the symbolic power of gender during wartime (e.g., Bayard de Volo 2001; Viterna 2014) and extends the arguments and findings from the very small number of recent studies that considers the potential strategic implications of women's participation in armed political organizations (e.g., Karim 2019;Wood 2019).…”

“…Consequently, we contend that observers transfer their beliefs about women’s motivations for joining the rebellion and their intuitive impressions of female fighters to the group as a whole. Existing evidence of such transference is sparse; however, one recent study found that individuals in a postconflict society who encountered female security agents expressed greater confidence in the country’s security forces (Karim 2019). We expect a similar effect in the context of external observers.…”