The States Must Be Crazy: Dissent and the Puzzle of Repressive Persistence

Abstract: According to forty years worth of research, dissent always increases repression whereas state coercive behavior has a range of different influences on dissident activity. If the outcome of government action is uncertain, why do authorities continue to apply repression? We explore this “puzzle of repressive persistence” using official records of U.S. government activities against the Republic of New Africa, a Black Nationalist organization active in the late 1960s and early 1970s. In particular, we investigate three proposed answers to the puzzle: repression is effective but in a way not currently considered; repression functions by mechanisms not hitherto considered by quantitative researchers; or those who use repression are not actually interested in eliminating dissent. We find that persistence in this case can be attributed to: 1) a long-term plan to eliminate challengers deemed threatening to the U.S. political-economy and 2) the influence of particular agents of repressio.... https://www.ijcv.org/index.php/ijcv/article/view/2931

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• Location: Deutsche Nationalbibliothek Frankfurt am Main
• Extent: Online-Ressource
• Language: Englisch

References and Relationships

• Bibliographic citation: The States Must Be Crazy: Dissent and the Puzzle of Repressive Persistence ; volume:6 ; number:1 ; day:03 ; month:04 ; year:2012 ; International journal of conflict and violence ; 6, Heft 1 (03.04.2012)

Contributors, Places and Time

• Creator: Christian Davenport ; Cyanne Loyle

Further information

• DOI: 10.4119/ijcv-2931
• URN: urn:nbn:de:101:1-2020062210501192131965
• Rights: Open Access; Der Zugriff auf das Objekt ist unbeschränkt möglich.