Criminal Governance in Contexts of High State Presence and Low Violence

Lucía Tiscornia
University College Dublin

Ines Fynn
Universidad Católica del Uruguay

Verónica Pérez Bentancur
Universidad de la República

Gustavo Diaz
McMaster University

 

Slides and paper: talks.gustavodiaz.org

Motivation

Criminal governance

Criminal governance

Informal tools

Criminal governance

Informal tools to control community behaviors

Criminal governance

Informal tools to control community behaviors that involve political, economic, or social aspects

Criminal governance

Informal tools to control community behaviors that involve political, economic, or social aspects with the goal of profiting from illicit markets.

What we know so far

  • Mix of violent and nonviolent strategies
  • Emergence depends on criminal control and competition
  • Where the state is absent
  • But also alongside the state

Mostly from high violence, low state presence countries

Questions

Why do we observe criminal governance mechanisms in contexts of low violence and high state presence?

 

How does criminal governance operate in these contexts?

A theory of criminal governance under low violence and high state presence

Research Design

Case selection: Montevideo, Uruguay

  • Low violence and crime
  • Extensive social protection
  • Crucial least likely case

Research Design

Qualitative fieldwork (2021-2022)

  • 76 in depth interviews
  • Review of press and documents (2012-2022)
  • Criminal governance is a sensitive topic

Research Design

Online survey (2022)

  • Estimate extent of criminal governance tools
  • N = 2,688
  • Network scale-up questions (NSUM)
  • Double list experiment

Survey: Direct question

During the last six months, in your neighborhood, have you seen criminal organizations…

 

Violent

  • Threaten neighbors
  • Evict neighbors

Nonviolent

  • Make donations to neighbors
  • Offer jobs to neighbors

Survey: NSUM questions

How many X do you know,

Survey: NSUM questions

How many X do you know, who also know you,

Survey: NSUM questions

How many X do you know, who also know you, with whom you have interacted in the last year

Survey: NSUM questions

How many X do you know, who also know you, with whom you have interacted in the last year in person, by phone, or any other channel?

From Las Piedras
Male 25-29
Police officers
University students
Had a kid last year
Passed away last year
Married last year
Female 45-49

Public employees
Welfare card holders
Registered with party
With kids in public school
Did not vote in last election
Currently in jail
Recently unemployed
[CRIMINAL GOVERNANCE TOOL]

Survey: Results

Survey: Results

Interviews: Limited to economic mechanisms

Politics for them does not exist, they are in the business [of selling drugs]. Politics is the business of other people, they are interested in having economic means quickly, but politics is not their strong suit

 

They are not well-organized enough to be involved in other things

Conclusion

  • Criminal governance can persist under low crime, high state presence
  • But no attempt at social/political control

Implications

  • Current explanations may be biased towards high violence cases
  • Rethinking theoretical scope conditions