Protectors or Perpetrators? Towards an Understanding of Policing and Political Participation in the African Context

Abstract

This thesis investigates the relationship between police presence and political participation in Africa. First, I will review the existing literature on determinants of political participation and on the spillover effects of policing. It will be made clear is that the relationship between policing and participation is highly under-researched, especially outside of the context of Western liberal democracies. Next, using data from Afrobarometer surveys, I will examine the effects of the presence of police on three different forms of political participation: protesting, state-level institutions (voting), and community-level participation (meetings and advocacy). I find that the presence of police does not have a significant effect on citizens’ protest behavior or voting behavior, but living in proximity to a police station does make citizens significantly less likely to participate in community-level meetings and to band together to raise an issue. Thus, the evidence supports a negative relationship between police presence and specifically community-level forms of political participation. I will conclude by discussing the significance of these findings and highlighting areas where future research should be conducted.