A checkpoint effect? Evidence from a natural experiment on travel restrictions in the West Bank

• Autores: Matthew Longo, Daphna Canetti, Nancy Hite-Rubin
• Localización: American Journal of Political Science, ISSN-e 1540-5907, Vol. 58, Nº. 4, 2014, págs. 1006-1023
• Idioma: inglés
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• Resumen

  • Does nonviolent repression prompt subject groups to obey or rebel? By what mechanism does it do so? To address these questions, we exploit a natural experiment based on a 2009 policy toward the �easement� of checkpoints�nonviolent impediments to movement�in the West Bank. We sample populations across 17 villages (n = 599), beside one checkpoint slated for easement (treatment) and one that will undergo no change (control), before and after the intervention. We then pursue difference-in-difference estimation. This design is experimental, as easement was orthogonal to Palestinian attitudes; for robustness, we test our findings against an independent panel (n = 1,200). We find that easement makes subject populations less likely to support violence; we suggest humiliation as the mechanism bridging nonviolent repression with militancy. This warrants rethinking Israeli security policy, as short-term concerns over Palestinian mobility may be compromising Israel's long-term interests. By extension, checkpoint easement may positively affect peace negotiations