2018/05/31 by Erica Frantz · 31 citations
Social Sciences · #Crime Patterns and Interventions #Crime, Illicit Activities, and Governance #Political Conflict and Governance #Dictatorship #Autocracy #Argument (complex analysis) #Law enforcement #Criminology #Democratization #Homicide #Democracy #Political science #Dilemma #Political economy #Violent crime #Poison control #Law #Sociology #Suicide prevention #Politics
paper · doi:10.1177/0192512118769079
published in International Political Science Review 40(3), 404-418 (SAGE Publishing)
openalex publication_date 2018/05/31 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/05/21
Violent crime rates have increased dramatically in many parts of the world in recent decades, with homicides now outpacing deaths due to interstate or civil wars. Considerable variations exist across democracies in their violent crime rates, however: different autocratic experiences help explain why this is the case. Democracies emerging from military rule have higher homicide rates because they typically inherit militarized police forces. This creates a dilemma after democratization: allowing the military to remain in the police leads to law enforcement personnel trained in defense rather than policing, but extricating it marginalizes individuals trained in the use of violence. The results of cross-national statistical tests are shown to be consistent with this argument.