| ID | 172192 |
| Title Proper | Hired guns |
| Other Title Information | using pro-government militias for political competition |
| Language | ENG |
| Author | Raleigh, Clionadh ; Kishi, Roudabeh |
| Summary / Abstract (Note) | Pro-government militias (PGMs) are armed, political organizations that assist regime and state elites through illicit violence. This article considers how and where to situate militias within larger frameworks of political violence and its emerging contexts. Pro-government militias have increased in recent years, along with their participation in conflict events, including those resulting in fatalities. This is in step with increases in domestic political competition and regime fragmentation across developing states. Using a new PGM dataset that collects discrete events perpetrated by these groups across Africa from 1997–2016, two conclusions are reached: PGM groups are more active outside of civil war periods than within, and their actions and numbers have increased as more countries transition to democracy. Further, activity by PGMs is not well explained by government attempts to delegate violence for reputational reasons or low capacity. Political fragmentation at the national level and diffuse opposition threats better account for the spatial and temporal patterns of PGM activity. |
| `In' analytical Note | Terrorism and Political Violence Vol. 32, No.1-4; Jan-Jun 2020: p.582-603 |
| Journal Source | Terrorism and Political Violence Vol: 32 No 1-4 |
| Key Words | Conflict ; Democracy ; Political Violence ; Africa ; Event Data |