IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/sae/jocore/v60y2016i7p1163-1190.html

Undermining Resistance

Author

Listed:
  • Christopher M. Sullivan

Abstract

This study examines attempts by authorities to undermine overt collective challenges, such as protests, riots, or armed attacks, by targeting activities that precede and/or support such behavior. After providing a theory of how repression and resistance develop, the study analyzes unique data drawn from the confidential records of the Guatemalan National Police to assess the use of repression during the years between 1975 and 1985. Empirical tests demonstrate that (1) government forces anticipate challenger development by identifying the mobilization activities nascent challengers rely on to initiate and sustain overt collective challenges and (2) the use of repression designed to undermine such efforts is specifically targeted against radical (i.e., highly transformative) claims making. Implications are drawn for how we understand and study political order and conflict.

Suggested Citation

  • Christopher M. Sullivan, 2016. "Undermining Resistance," Journal of Conflict Resolution, Peace Science Society (International), vol. 60(7), pages 1163-1190, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:jocore:v:60:y:2016:i:7:p:1163-1190
    DOI: 10.1177/0022002714567951
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0022002714567951
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1177/0022002714567951?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. James Raymond Vreeland, 2008. "The Effect of Political Regime on Civil War," Journal of Conflict Resolution, Peace Science Society (International), vol. 52(3), pages 401-425, June.
    2. Joshua D. Angrist & Jörn-Steffen Pischke, 2009. "Mostly Harmless Econometrics: An Empiricist's Companion," Economics Books, Princeton University Press, edition 1, number 8769.
    3. Konstantinos Drakos & Andreas Gofas, 2006. "The Devil You Know but Are Afraid to Face," Journal of Conflict Resolution, Peace Science Society (International), vol. 50(5), pages 714-735, October.
    4. Timur Kuran, 1989. "Sparks and prairie fires: A theory of unanticipated political revolution," Public Choice, Springer, vol. 61(1), pages 41-74, April.
    5. Sabine C. Carey, 2010. "The Use of Repression as a Response to Domestic Dissent," Political Studies, Political Studies Association, vol. 58, pages 167-186, February.
    6. Bethany Lacina, 2014. "How Governments Shape the Risk of Civil Violence: India's Federal Reorganization, 1950–56," American Journal of Political Science, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 58(3), pages 720-738, July.
    7. Sabine C. Carey, 2010. "The Use of Repression as a Response to Domestic Dissent," Political Studies, Political Studies Association, vol. 58(1), pages 167-186, February.
    8. King, Gary & Pan, Jennifer & Roberts, Margaret E., 2013. "How Censorship in China Allows Government Criticism but Silences Collective Expression," American Political Science Review, Cambridge University Press, vol. 107(2), pages 326-343, May.
    9. Barbara F. Walter, 2006. "Building Reputation: Why Governments Fight Some Separatists but Not Others," American Journal of Political Science, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 50(2), pages 313-330, April.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Jacqueline H.R. DeMeritt & Joseph K Young, 2013. "A political economy of human rights: Oil, natural gas, and state incentives to repress1," Conflict Management and Peace Science, Peace Science Society (International), vol. 30(2), pages 99-120, April.
    2. Amanda A Licht & Susan Hannah Allen, 2018. "Repressing for reputation," Journal of Peace Research, Peace Research Institute Oslo, vol. 55(5), pages 582-595, September.
    3. Bosco, Davide & Colombo, Luca & Femminis, Gianluca, 2025. "Conflict, information and regime-change," European Journal of Political Economy, Elsevier, vol. 89(C).
    4. Lai, Weizheng, 2024. "The effect of education on voter turnout in China's rural elections," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 221(C), pages 230-247.
    5. Nabil “Bill” Julkif, 2022. "Self and political efficacy and the justifiability of political violence and the role of state terror: A cross‐national analysis," Social Science Quarterly, Southwestern Social Science Association, vol. 103(1), pages 108-119, January.
    6. Sabine C Carey & Belén González, 2021. "The legacy of war: The effect of militias on postwar repression," Conflict Management and Peace Science, Peace Science Society (International), vol. 38(3), pages 247-269, May.
    7. Georgy Egorov & Konstantin Sonin, 2024. "The Political Economics of Non-democracy," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 62(2), pages 594-636, June.
    8. Jansesberger, Viktoria & Spilker, Gabriele, 2024. "Silencing dissent in the wake of catastrophe? An examination of the repression dynamics following weather-related rapid-onset events in autocracies," Working Papers 27, University of Konstanz, Cluster of Excellence "The Politics of Inequality. Perceptions, Participation and Policies".
    9. Erin Baggott Carter & Brett L. Carter, 2021. "Propaganda and Protest in Autocracies," Journal of Conflict Resolution, Peace Science Society (International), vol. 65(5), pages 919-949, May.
    10. Xin Jin & Xu Xu, 2016. "The Autocratic Root of Social Distrust," Working Papers 0516, University of South Florida, Department of Economics.
    11. Sambuddha Ghatak & Aaron Gold & Brandon C. Prins, 2019. "Domestic Terrorism in Democratic States: Understanding and Addressing Minority Grievances," Journal of Conflict Resolution, Peace Science Society (International), vol. 63(2), pages 439-467, February.
    12. Brandon M. Boylan, 2016. "What drives ethnic terrorist campaigns? A view at the group level of analysis," Conflict Management and Peace Science, Peace Science Society (International), vol. 33(3), pages 250-272, July.
    13. Bjørnskov, Christian & Pfaff, Katharina, 2021. "Differences matter: The effect of coup types on physical integrity rights," European Journal of Political Economy, Elsevier, vol. 69(C).
    14. Colin O'Reilly & Ryan H. Murphy, 2022. "An Index Measuring State Capacity, 1789–2018," Economica, London School of Economics and Political Science, vol. 89(355), pages 713-745, July.
    15. Daron Acemoglu & Tarek A. Hassan & Ahmed Tahoun, 2018. "The Power of the Street: Evidence from Egypt’s Arab Spring," The Review of Financial Studies, Society for Financial Studies, vol. 31(1), pages 1-42.
    16. Roos Haer & Babak RezaeeDaryakenari, 2022. "Disasters and civilian victimization: Exploring the dynamic effect in Africa, 1997–2017," Journal of Peace Research, Peace Research Institute Oslo, vol. 59(1), pages 43-57, January.
    17. Nils-Christian Bormann & Burcu Savun, 2018. "Reputation, concessions, and territorial civil war," Journal of Peace Research, Peace Research Institute Oslo, vol. 55(5), pages 671-686, September.
    18. Sonin, Konstantin & Dagaev, Dmitry & Lamberova, Natalia & Sobolev, Anton, 2013. "Technological Foundations of Political Instability," CEPR Discussion Papers 9787, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    19. repec:ehl:lserod:100316 is not listed on IDEAS
    20. Timothy M. Peterson, 2017. "Export Diversity and Human Rights," Journal of Conflict Resolution, Peace Science Society (International), vol. 61(8), pages 1740-1767, September.
    21. Burcu Savun & Brian J. Phillips, 2009. "Democracy, Foreign Policy, and Terrorism," Journal of Conflict Resolution, Peace Science Society (International), vol. 53(6), pages 878-904, December.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:sae:jocore:v:60:y:2016:i:7:p:1163-1190. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: SAGE Publications (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://pss.la.psu.edu/ .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.