The Politics of Police Reform

Society against the State in Post-Soviet Countries

Nonfiction, Social & Cultural Studies, Political Science, Politics, History & Theory, International
Cover of the book The Politics of Police Reform by Erica Marat, Oxford University Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Erica Marat ISBN: 9780190861513
Publisher: Oxford University Press Publication: March 1, 2018
Imprint: Oxford University Press Language: English
Author: Erica Marat
ISBN: 9780190861513
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Publication: March 1, 2018
Imprint: Oxford University Press
Language: English

There is a Russian saying that "police mirror society." The gist of this is that every society is policed to the extent that it allows itself to be policed. Centralized in control but decentralized in their reach, the police are remarkably similar in structure, chain of command, and their relationships with the political elite across post-Soviet nations--they also remain one of the least reformed post-communist institutions. As a powerful state organ, the Soviet-style militarized police have resisted change despite democratic transformations in the overall political context, including rounds of competitive elections and growing civil society. While consensus between citizens and the state about reform may be possible in democratic nations, it is considerably more difficult to achieve in authoritarian states. Across post-Soviet countries, such discussions most often occur between political elites and powerful non-state actors, such as criminal syndicates and nationalistic ethnic groups, rather than the wider citizenry. Even in countries where one or more rounds of democratic elections have taken place since 1991, empowered citizens and politicians have not renegotiated the way states police and coerce society. On the contrary, in many post-Soviet countries, police functions have expanded to serve the interests of the ruling political elites. What does it take to reform a post-Soviet police force? This book explores the conditions in which a meaningful transformation of the police is likely to succeed and when it will fail. Departing from the conventional interpretation of the police as merely an institution of coercion, this book defines it as a medium for state-society consensus on the limits of the state's legitimate use of violence. It thus considers policing not as a way to measure the state's capacity to coerce society, but rather as a reflection of a complex society bound together by a web of casual interactions and political structures. The book compares reform efforts in Ukraine, Georgia, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, and Tajikistan, finding that bottom-up public mobilization is likely to emerge in the aftermath of transformative violence--an incident when the usual patterns of policing are interrupted with unprecedented brutality against vulnerable individuals. Ultimately, The Politics of Police Reform examines the various pathways to transforming how the state relates to society through policing.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

There is a Russian saying that "police mirror society." The gist of this is that every society is policed to the extent that it allows itself to be policed. Centralized in control but decentralized in their reach, the police are remarkably similar in structure, chain of command, and their relationships with the political elite across post-Soviet nations--they also remain one of the least reformed post-communist institutions. As a powerful state organ, the Soviet-style militarized police have resisted change despite democratic transformations in the overall political context, including rounds of competitive elections and growing civil society. While consensus between citizens and the state about reform may be possible in democratic nations, it is considerably more difficult to achieve in authoritarian states. Across post-Soviet countries, such discussions most often occur between political elites and powerful non-state actors, such as criminal syndicates and nationalistic ethnic groups, rather than the wider citizenry. Even in countries where one or more rounds of democratic elections have taken place since 1991, empowered citizens and politicians have not renegotiated the way states police and coerce society. On the contrary, in many post-Soviet countries, police functions have expanded to serve the interests of the ruling political elites. What does it take to reform a post-Soviet police force? This book explores the conditions in which a meaningful transformation of the police is likely to succeed and when it will fail. Departing from the conventional interpretation of the police as merely an institution of coercion, this book defines it as a medium for state-society consensus on the limits of the state's legitimate use of violence. It thus considers policing not as a way to measure the state's capacity to coerce society, but rather as a reflection of a complex society bound together by a web of casual interactions and political structures. The book compares reform efforts in Ukraine, Georgia, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, and Tajikistan, finding that bottom-up public mobilization is likely to emerge in the aftermath of transformative violence--an incident when the usual patterns of policing are interrupted with unprecedented brutality against vulnerable individuals. Ultimately, The Politics of Police Reform examines the various pathways to transforming how the state relates to society through policing.

More books from Oxford University Press

Cover of the book Mexican Philosophy in the 20th Century by Erica Marat
Cover of the book Environmental Diplomacy by Erica Marat
Cover of the book Reverence : Renewing A Forgotten Virtue by Erica Marat
Cover of the book Max/MSP/Jitter for Music : A Practical Guide to Developing Interactive Music Systems for Education and More by Erica Marat
Cover of the book On the Genealogy of Morals: A Polemic. By way of clarification and supplement to my last book Beyond Good and Evil by Erica Marat
Cover of the book The Tears of Re by Erica Marat
Cover of the book The Adapted Mind by Erica Marat
Cover of the book Studies in Music with Text by Erica Marat
Cover of the book They Never Said It : A Book of Fake Quotes Misquotes and Misleading Attributions by Erica Marat
Cover of the book Democracy in the Woods by Erica Marat
Cover of the book Cellular Computing by Erica Marat
Cover of the book The Case of Terri Schiavo by Erica Marat
Cover of the book Sky Above Clouds by Erica Marat
Cover of the book The Jewish Annotated New Testament by Erica Marat
Cover of the book Exposing Men by Erica Marat
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy