Replication Data for: Peacekeeping and the Enforcement of Intergroup Cooperation: Evidence from Mali

Despite the abundance of evidence that peacekeeping works, we know little about what actually makes peacekeepers effective. Recent work suggesting that local agendas are central to modern conflicts make this omission particularly problematic. The article demonstrates that the presence of peacekeepers makes individuals more optimistic about the risks of engagement and the likelihood that members of outgroups will reciprocate cooperation. I use data from a lab-in-the-field experiment conducted in Mali, a West African country with an active conflict managed by troops from France and the United Nations (UN), to show that UN peacekeepers increase the willingness of individuals to cooperate relative to control and French enforcers. Moreover, I find that UN peacekeepers are especially effective among those participants who hold other groups and institutions in low esteem as well as those who have more frequent contact with peacekeepers. Follow-up interviews and surveys suggest that perceptions of the UN as unbiased rather than other mechanisms account for its effectiveness.

尽管已有大量证据表明维和行动切实有效，但我们对究竟是什么因素能让维和人员发挥效能仍知之甚少。近期研究指出，本土议程是当代冲突的核心驱动因素，这一结论使得我们对维和效能动因的认知空白显得尤为棘手。本研究证实，维和人员的存在会让个体对参与行动的风险以及外群体成员回报合作行为的可能性抱有更为乐观的态度。本研究依托在马里开展的田野实验室实验数据展开分析——马里作为西非国家，当前仍处于由法国与联合国（UN）部队管控的活跃冲突状态——结果显示，相较于对照组与法国强制维和部队，联合国维和人员能显著提升个体的合作意愿。此外，本研究发现，联合国维和人员的效能在两类参与者中尤为凸显：一类是对其他群体与制度持有低评价态度的个体，另一类是与维和人员接触更为频繁的个体。后续访谈与调研结果表明，联合国维和行动的效能源于参与者对其秉持公正立场的认知，而非其他维和机制具备此类特质。