Replication data for: United Nations Peacekeeping and Civilian Protection in Civil War

Do United Nations peacekeeping missions protect civilians in civil war? Civilian protection is a primary purpose of UN peacekeeping, yet there is little systematic evidence for whether peacekeeping prevents civilian deaths. We propose that UN peacekeeping can protect civilians if missions are adequately composed of military troops and police in large numbers. Using unique monthly data on the number and type of UN personnel contributed to peacekeeping operations, along with monthly data on civilian deaths from 1991 to 2008 in armed conflicts in Africa, we find that as the UN commits more military and police forces to a peacekeeping mission, fewer civilians are targeted with violence. The effect is substantial - our results show that, on average, the deployment of several thousand troops and several hundred police dramatically reduces civilian killings. We conclude that although the UN is often criticized for its failures, UN peacekeeping is an effective mechanism of civilian protection.

联合国维和行动能否在内战中保护平民？平民保护是联合国维和行动的核心宗旨之一，但目前鲜有系统性证据能够证实维和行动是否可有效遏制平民死亡。本文提出假说：若维和任务区能够部署足量的军事人员与警务力量，则联合国维和行动可达成平民保护目标。本研究利用两项独有月度数据集开展分析：其一为联合国向维和行动派遣的人员数量与类型统计数据，其二为1991年至2008年非洲武装冲突中的月度平民死亡数据。研究结果表明，联合国向维和任务区投入的军事与警务力量越多，遭遇暴力袭击的平民数量便越少。该效应极为显著——平均而言，部署数千名军事人员与数百名警务人员即可大幅减少平民遇害事件。本研究最终得出结论：尽管联合国常因行动失利饱受诟病，但联合国维和行动仍是一项行之有效的平民保护机制。