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Militarization and Perceptions of Law Enforcement in the Developing World: Evidence from a Conjoint Experiment in Mexico

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 July 2021

Gustavo Flores-Macías Open the ORCID record for Gustavo Flores-Macías [Opens in a new window]  and
Jessica Zarkin Open the ORCID record for Jessica Zarkin [Opens in a new window]
Gustavo Flores-Macías
Affiliation:
Cornell University College of Arts and Sciences, Ithaca, NY, USA
Jessica Zarkin*
Affiliation:
Cornell University College of Arts and Sciences, Ithaca, NY, USA
*
*Corresponding author. E-mail: jz684@cornell.edu
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Abstract

Although a growing body of research suggests that the constabularization of the military for domestic policing is counterproductive, this increasingly prevalent policy has nonetheless enjoyed widespread support in the developing world. This study advances our understanding of the consequences of militarization for perceptions of law enforcement: whether visual features shape perceptions of effectiveness, respect for civil liberties, proclivity for corruption and acceptance of militarization in one's own neighborhood. Based on a nationally representative, image-based, conjoint experiment conducted in Mexico, the authors find that military weapons and uniforms enhance perceptions of effectiveness and respect for civil liberties, and that the effect of military uniform becomes greater with increased military presence. The study also finds that gender shapes perceptions of civil liberties and corruption, but detects no effect for skin color. The findings suggest that a central feature of militarization linked to greater violence – military weapons – is paradoxically a key factor explaining favorable attitudes, and that women can play a crucial role in improving perceptions of law enforcement.

Keywords

policingLatin Americamilitarization of law enforcementconjointMexicopublic opinion
Type
Article
Information
British Journal of Political Science , Volume 52 , Issue 3 , July 2022 , pp. 1377 - 1397
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press

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