Abstract: Researchers are partnering with IPA Peru to assess the long-term consequences of violence against civilians during Peru’s civil war on local residents’ perception of violence, trust in state institutions, and general political attitudes.

Violence against civilians is a recurring issue around the world. Such campaigns of violence have intricate and far-reaching social repercussions affecting social networks and political institutions.¹ This project investigates the long-term consequences of political violence in Peru, focusing specifically on the legacies of the armed conflict between the Peruvian army and the Shining Path insurgency group in the 1980s, and the violence committed against civilians in this context.

Researchers partnered with IPA Peru to assess individuals’ perception of violence and how it affected their political opinions and trust in state institutions. To do this, they conducted surveys involving 800 villagers living in the department of Ayacucho, the epicenter of the conflict in the 1980s. In the survey, respondents selected a candidate among a pair of five hypothetical competitors–varying in criteria like ethnicity, education level, and prior political and security system experience–running for the office of district mayor. They were also asked to rate the candidates based on how much they trust them.

Researchers also measured other indicators including levels of local militarization and social polarization; support for armed governance; trust in state institutions; domestic and gender-based violence, its acceptability, and the likelihood of reporting such violence to authorities. As a complement to the survey, additional villagers from selected locations were invited to participate in six focus groups (three for men, three for women).

Results will be available in 2025.
 

Sources

¹ Schubiger, Livia. “State Violence and Wartime Civilian Agency: Evidence from Peru.” The Journal of Politics, 2021, 83(4): 1565-1596.

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