Replication Data for: How the State Discourages Vigilantism - Evidence from a Field Experiment in South Africa (doi:10.7910/DVN/LTUYNA)

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Replication Data for: How the State Discourages Vigilantism - Evidence from a Field Experiment in South Africa

doi:10.7910/DVN/LTUYNA

Harvard Dataverse

2025-02-26

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Wilke, Anna M, 2025, "Replication Data for: How the State Discourages Vigilantism - Evidence from a Field Experiment in South Africa", https://doi.org/10.7910/DVN/LTUYNA, Harvard Dataverse, V1

Replication Data for: How the State Discourages Vigilantism - Evidence from a Field Experiment in South Africa

doi:10.7910/DVN/LTUYNA

Wilke, Anna M (New York University)

Anna M Wilke

Harvard Dataverse

Wilke, Anna M

Wilke, Anna

2024-09-23

https://doi.org/10.7910/DVN/LTUYNA

Social Sciences, state capacity, policing, crime, informal justice, punishment, Sub-Saharan Africa

Mob vigilantism - the punishment of criminal suspects by groups of citizens - is widespread throughout the developing world. This paper sheds light on the relation- ship between state capacity and citizens’ choice between reliance on the state and vigilantism. I implemented a field experiment in South Africa that randomly varies the capacity of police to locate households. Findings from surveys conducted several months later suggest households that have become legible to police are more willing to rely on police and less willing to participate in vigilantism. An additional information experiment points towards increased fear of state punishment for vigilantism rather than improved police service quality as the likely mechanism. The broader implication is that citizens’ willingness to cooperate with capable state institutions need not reflect satisfaction with state services. Such cooperation can also be due to the state’s ability to limit citizens’ choices by ruling out informal alternatives like vigilantism.

This dataset underwent an independent verification process, complying with the AJPS Verification Policy updated June 2023, which replicated the tables and figures in the primary article. For the supplementary materials, verification was performed solely for the successful execution of the code. The verification process was carried out by the Cornell Center for Social Sciences at Cornell University. <br></br> The associated article has been awarded the Open Materials Badge. Learn more about the Open Practice Badges from the <a href="https://www.cos.io/">Center for Open Science</a>. <br></br> <img src="https://socialsciences.cornell.edu/sites/default/files/2024-04/materials_large_color.png" alt="Open Materials Badge " width="60" height="60"> <br></br> Open Materials Badge

1) Author-created data. Please see the file readme.txt for details. <br></br> 2) StatsSA. 2016/2017. Victims of Crime Survey. Statistics South Africa. URL: http://www.statssa.gov.za/?p=10521 and https://microdata.worldbank.org/index. php/catalog/3707. <br></br> 3) World Justice Project. 2023. WJP Rule of Law Index. URL: https://worldjusticeproject.org/rule-of-law-index/ <br></br> 4) World Justice Project. 2017/2018. “WJPS Rule of Law Index – Survey Data.” URL: https://worldjusticeproject.org/news/2017-2018-wjp-rule-law-index#:~:text=The%20top%20three%20overall%20performers,changed%20since%20the%202016%20Index.

The <i>American Journal of Political Science</i> and the Cornell Center for Social Sciences are not responsible for the accuracy or quality of data uploaded within the <i>AJPS</i> Dataverse, for the use of those data, or for interpretations or conclusions based on their use.

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