Lynching and Local Justice: Legitimacy and Accountability in Weak States (Elements in Political Economy)

Danielle F. Jung, Dara Kay Cohen

ISBN 10: 1108794475 / ISBN 13: 9781108794473

Published by Cambridge University Press 2020-08-31, 2020

About this Item

Seller Inventory # 6666-IUK-9781108794473

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Lynching and Local Justice: Legitimacy and Accountability in Weak States (Elements in Political Economy)
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press 2020-08-31
• Publication Date: 2020
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1108794475
• ISBN 13: 9781108794473
• Binding: Paperback
• Condition: New

About this title

Synopsis

What are the social and political consequences of poor state governance and low state legitimacy? Under what conditions does lynching – lethal, extralegal group violence to punish offenses to the community – become an acceptable practice? We argue lynching emerges when neither the state nor its challengers have a monopoly over legitimate authority. When authority is contested or ambiguous, mass punishment for transgressions can emerge that is public, brutal, and requires broad participation. Using new cross-national data, we demonstrate lynching is a persistent problem in dozens of countries over the last four decades. Drawing on original survey and interview data from Haiti and South Africa, we show how lynching emerges and becomes accepted. Specifically, support for lynching most likely occurs in one of three conditions: when states fail to provide governance, when non-state actors provide social services, or when neighbors must rely on self-help.