Transaction Search Form: please type in any of the fields below.
Date: April 30, 2024 Tue
Time: 1:29 am
Time: 1:29 am
Results for protest movements
9 results foundAuthor: Glaeser, Edward L. Title: A Theory of Civil Disobedience Summary: From the streets of Hong Kong to Ferguson, Missouri, civil disobedience has again become newsworthy. What explains the prevalence and extremity of acts of civil disobedience?This paper presents a model in which protest planners choose the nature of the disturbance hoping to influence voters (or other decision-makers in less democratic regimes) both through the size of the unrest and by generating a response. The model suggests that protesters will either choose a mild “epsilon” protest, such as a peaceful march, which serves mainly to signal the size of the disgruntled population, or a “sweet spot” protest, which is painful enough to generate a response but not painful enough so that an aggressive response is universally applauded. Since non-epsilon protests serve primarily to signal the leaders’ type, they will occur either when protesters have private information about the leader’s type or when the distribution of voters’ preferences are convex in a way that leads the revelation of uncertainty to increase the probability of regime change. The requirements needed for rational civil disobedience seem not to hold in many world settings, and so we explore ways in which bounded rationality by protesters, voters, and incumbent leaders can also explain civil disobedience. Details: Cambridge, MA: National Bureau of Economic Research, 2015. 47p. Source: Internet Resource: NBER Working Paper 21338: Accessed July 13, 2015 at:http://www.nber.org/papers/w21338.pdf Year: 2015 Country: United States URL: http://www.nber.org/papers/w21338.pdf Shelf Number: 136008 Keywords: Civil Disorders Demonstrations Protest Movements |
Author: Human Rights Watch Title: "Like We Are Not Nepali": Protest and Police Crackdown in the Terai Region of Nepal Summary: Starting in late August 2015, protests over Nepal's new constitution in the southern Terai region turned violent, with protesters in some instances attacking defenseless police, and police in many instances using excessive force. Some 45 people were killed. The protesters, from long-marginalized Tharu and Madhesi communities, objected to the proposed new constitution, notably its delineation of federal provinces that many believed would further entrench their marginalization. "Like We Are Not Nepali" documents 25 of the killings, including of 9 police officers and 16 members of the public, in five Terai districts between August 24 and September 11, 2015. Human Rights Watch found no evidence that any of the victims was posing a threat to another at the time he was killed, indicating that the authorities violated international standards on the use of force in policing. Human Rights Watch calls on Nepali officials to ensure that security forces immediately cease the use of disproportionate force against protesters and establish an independent mechanism for investigating the killings. It urges protesters and protest leaders to take all feasible steps to ensure that all protests are peaceful, and fully cooperate with the authorities in ensuring those responsible for serious crimes are brought to justice. All sides to the underlying political dispute, including protesters and the government, should avoid any action which could incite communal tensions. Details: New York: HRW, 2015. 52p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed October 26, 2015 at: https://www.hrw.org/sites/default/files/report_pdf/nepal1015_forupload.pdf Year: 2015 Country: Nepal URL: https://www.hrw.org/sites/default/files/report_pdf/nepal1015_forupload.pdf Shelf Number: 137144 Keywords: Police MisconductPolice Use of ForceProtest Movements |
Author: Human Rights Watch Title: "Such a Brutal Crackdown": Killings and Arrests in response to Ethiopia's Oromo Protests Summary: Since mid-November 2015, Ethiopia's Oromia region has been rocked by largely peaceful protests triggered by Ethiopian government plans to expand the capital, Addis Ababa, and displace ethnic Oromo farmers. State security forces have used excessive and lethal force to respond to the protests, killing an estimated 400 people and injuring thousands. Security forces have also arrested tens of thousands of people and hundreds of others have been forcibly disappeared. Based on more than 125 interviews conducted inside Ethiopia and abroad, "Such a Brutal Crackdown" describes and analyses a grossly underreported crisis that poses a massive political challenge for Ethiopia's government. Although the demonstrations initially concerned the government's expansion plans, the killings and arrests, coupled with longstanding grievances from the Oromo community, have further fueled the protests. Many of those killed or detained were students under 18. The authorities have also arrested opposition politicians, musicians, teachers and other influential Oromos. Some have been prosecuted under Ethiopia's draconian counterterrorism law. The government has also sought to restrict information about the protests by detaining journalists covering the events and blocking social media and other means of communication. Although the protests have largely subsided since mid-April, thousands of students and others have fled their homes or are in detention, education has been disrupted in many locations, and tensions remain high. This underscores the need for the Ethiopian government to support a credible investigation into the events, release those who have been wrongfully detained, and take other urgent measures to redress the serious abuses that have been committed. Details: New York: HRW, 2016. 86p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed July 25, 2016 at: https://www.hrw.org/sites/default/files/report_pdf/ethiopia0616web.pdf Year: 2016 Country: Ethiopia URL: https://www.hrw.org/sites/default/files/report_pdf/ethiopia0616web.pdf Shelf Number: 139838 Keywords: Deadly ForceDisappearancesHuman Rights AbusesProtest MovementsUse of Force |
Author: Vradis, Antonios Title: Patterns of contentious politics concentration as a 'spatial contract': a spatio-temporal study of urban riots and violent protest in the neighbourhood of Exarcheia, Athens, Greece (1974-2011) Summary: Existing studies of urban riots, violent protest and other instances of contentious politics in urban settings have largely tended to be either event- or time-specific in their scope. The present thesis offers a spatial reading of such politics of contention in the city of Athens, Greece. Tracing the pattern of the occurrence of these instances through time, the research scope of the thesis spans across Greece's post-dictatorial era (i.e. post-1974, the Greek Metapolitefsi), concluding shortly after the first loan agreement between the country's national government and the so-called 'troika' of lenders (IMF/ECB/EU). The thesis includes a critical overview of literature on riots in a historical and geographical context; questions on methodology and ethics in researching urban riots; a discourse analysis of violence concentration in Exarcheia; ethnographic accounts on everyday life in the neighbourhood and a 'rhythmanalysis' of the Exarcheia contention concentration during the period of research. Seeking to explain this concentration the thesis introduces the notion of the 'spatial contract': rather than signalling a type of discord, the concentration of mass violence in Exarcheia through time is hereby conceived as the spatial articulation of a certain form of consensus between Greek authorities and their subjects. In this way, the thesis places the concentration of urban violence in Exarcheia solidly within the social and political context of the country's post-dictatorial era. The thesis suggests that it would be beneficial for future human geographical research to trace such concentration patterns of urban riots. By exercising a cross-scale reading, it would then possible to place these and other forms of contentious politics within a social equilibrium that is far more complex and often much more consensual than it might appear to be. Details: London: London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), 2012. 312p. Source: Internet Resource: Dissertation: Accessed October 15, 2016 at: http://etheses.lse.ac.uk/3120/1/Vradis_Patterns_of_contentious_politics_concentration%20-.pdf Year: 2012 Country: Greece URL: http://etheses.lse.ac.uk/3120/1/Vradis_Patterns_of_contentious_politics_concentration%20-.pdf Shelf Number: 140723 Keywords: Protest MovementsRiotsUrban AreasUrban Riots |
Author: International Crisis Group Title: Boulevard of Broken Dreams: The "Street" and Politics in DR Congo Summary: The Democratic Republic of Congo's Joseph Kabila is dragging his feet on kick-starting the country's constitutionally-mandated presidential elections. By pursuing his own interests, Kabila is running the risk of triggering violent popular anger in the country's urban centers and a heavy-handed response by security forces. This ICG report lays out what should be done to work through the current political impasse. Details: Brussels/Narobi: International Crisis Group, 2016. 20p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed November 8, 2016 at: http://www.refworld.org/docid/57ff4d3a4.html Year: 2016 Country: Congo, Democratic Republic URL: Shelf Number: 146286 Keywords: Political CorruptionProtest MovementsUrban Violence |
Author: Human Rights Watch Title: Punished for Protesting: Rights Violations in Venezuela's Streets, Detention Centers, and Justice System Summary: On February 12, 2014, thousands of people across Venezuela participated in public demonstrations to protest the policies of the administration of President Nicolas Maduro. In several locations, violent clashes broke out between security forces and protesters. Since then, dozens of people have been killed, hundreds injured, and many more arrested in the context of ongoing demonstrations. The Venezuelan government has characterized the protests as violent. There is no doubt that some protesters have used violence, such as throwing rocks and Molotov cocktails at security forces. However, our research shows that Venezuelan security forces have repeatedly used unlawful force against unarmed and nonviolent individuals. Punished for Protesting documents 45 cases, involving more than 150 victims, in which security forces committed serious human rights violations against protesters and bystanders, including severely beating unarmed individuals and shooting them at point blank range. Nearly all of the victims were also arrested and, while in detention, subjected to physical and psychological abuse. In at least 10 cases, the abuse clearly constituted torture. Security forces have also allowed armed pro-government gangs to attack unarmed civilians, and in some cases openly collaborated with them. The abuses were compounded by prosecutors and judges, who either turned a blind eye or were party to violations of detainees' due process rights, including the denial of access to legal counsel and holding unfair hearings. Justice officials routinely failed to intervene when detainees presented to them were visibly injured, or to scrutinize evidence that had been fabricated or planted by security forces. Venezuela should ensure that human rights violations committed in the context of protests are brought to an end, and that the abuses that have occurred are subject to prompt, thorough, and impartial investigations that bring the perpetrators to justice. All acts of violence by non-state actors in the context of protests should also be thoroughly and impartially investigated and prosecuted, regardless of the political affiliation of suspects or victims. Details: New York: Human Rights Watch, 2014. 109p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed January 26, 2017 at: https://www.hrw.org/sites/default/files/reports/venezuela0514_ForUpload_0.pdf Year: 2014 Country: Venezuela URL: https://www.hrw.org/sites/default/files/reports/venezuela0514_ForUpload_0.pdf Shelf Number: 145437 Keywords: DemonstrationsHuman Rights AbusesProtest Movements |
Author: Feinberg, Matthew Title: Extreme Protest Tactics Reduce Popular Support for Social Movements Summary: Social movements are critical agents of change that vary greatly in both tactics and popular support. Prior work shows that extreme protest tactics - actions that are highly counter-normative, disruptive, or harmful to others, including inflammatory rhetoric, blocking traffic, and damaging property - are effective for gaining publicity. However, we find across three experiments that extreme protest tactics decreased popular support for a given cause because they reduced feelings of identification with the movement. Though this effect obtained in tests of popular responses to extreme tactics used by animal rights, Black Lives Matter, and anti-Trump protests (Studies 1-3), we found that self-identified political activists were willing to use extreme tactics because they believed them to be effective for recruiting popular support (Studies 4a & 4b). The activist's dilemma - wherein tactics that raise awareness also tend to reduce popular support - highlights a key challenge faced by social movements struggling to affect progressive change. Details: Toronto: University of Toronto - Organizational Behavior and Human Resource Management, 2017. 58p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed February 15, 2017 at: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2911177 Year: 2017 Country: United States URL: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2911177 Shelf Number: 145789 Keywords: Protest MovementsPublic DisorderRiots and Protests |
Author: Human Rights Watch Title: Crackdown on Dissent: Brutality, Torture, and Political Persecution in Venezuela Summary: In April 2017, tens of thousands of people took to the streets in Venezuela in response to the government-controlled Supreme Court's attempt to usurp the powers of the country's legislative branch. The protests quickly spread throughout the country and continued for months, fueled by widespread discontent with the government's authoritarian practices and the humanitarian crisis that has devastated the country under President Nicolas Maduro's watch. The government responded with widespread and systematic violence against anti-government protesters and detainees, as well as systematic denial of detainees' due process rights. While it was not the first crackdown on dissent under Maduro, the scope and severity of the repression in 2017 reached levels unseen in Venezuela in recent memory. Crackdown on Dissent documents 88 cases of abuse involving at least 314 victims committed by different security forces in multiple locations, including in closed environments like military installations, between April and September 2017. The cases include instances of excessive force on the streets; arbitrary detention, including of individuals pulled from their homes or arrested in incidents unrelated to the demonstrations; and physical abuse of detainees ranging from severe beatings to torture involving electric shocks, asphyxiation, and other techniques. There is no indication that Venezuelan high-level officials-including those who knew or should have known about the abuses- have taken any steps to prevent and punish violations. Governments around the world have spoken out about the crackdown on peaceful expression and protest in Venezuela. It is urgent that they redouble multilateral pressure on the Venezuelan government to release people arbitrarily detained, drop politicallymotivated prosecutions, and hold accountable those responsible for abuses. Details: New York; HRW, 2017. 91p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed February 13, 2018 at: https://www.hrw.org/sites/default/files/report_pdf/venezuela1117web_0.pdf Year: 2017 Country: Venezuela URL: https://www.hrw.org/sites/default/files/report_pdf/venezuela1117web_0.pdf Shelf Number: 149117 Keywords: Arbitrary DetentionDemonstrationsHuman Rights AbusesPersecutionProtest MovementsTorture |
Author: Barham, Derek Emilio Title: Same Destination, Different Journey: A Comparative Study of Public Order Policing in Britain and Spain Summary: Public order policing is about power and control. The preservation and maintenance of order is a defining characteristic of the sovereign power. It is a highly political activity which is also emotive, controversial and reflects national culture and identity. Public order policing asks serious questions of the police and represents the most contentious policing activity in modern democratic states. The purpose of this study is to increase and improve current knowledge of public order policing by comparing the policing of disorder in Britain and Spain. It reviews two high profile incidents, the 2011 London Riots and the 2014 "22M" Protests in Madrid, using a fusion of Waddington's "Flashpoints Model" and Herbert's "Normative Orders" to comparatively analyse the incidents. The study is supported by a comprehensive literature review and interviews with experienced police public order commanders. This thesis concludes that British public order policing is in need of considerable reform to improve operational effectiveness, efficiency and professionalism. It identifies several key themes which contributed to the inability of the Metropolitan Police to respond effectively to the serious disorder and criminality which proliferated across 22 of London's 32 boroughs in August 2011. These include the need to review British public order tactics, invest in the training of specialist public order units and improve the understanding of crowd psychology. Practical recommendations are suggested which would refine, enhance and improve the ability of the British public order policing model to respond to the challenges of serious disorder in the twenty first century. Details: London: London Metropolitan University, 2016. 316p. Source: Internet Resource: Dissertation: Accessed April 20, 2018 at: http://repository.londonmet.ac.uk/1016/1/BarhamDerek_ComparativeStudyOfPublicOrderPolicingInBritainAndSpain.pdf Year: 2016 Country: Europe URL: http://repository.londonmet.ac.uk/1016/1/BarhamDerek_ComparativeStudyOfPublicOrderPolicingInBritainAndSpain.pdf Shelf Number: 149871 Keywords: DemonstrationsDisorderly ConductPolicingProtest MovementsPublic Order Policing |