8 - Sub-national Evidence III: UN Intervention and the Rule of Law in Liberia

Summary

Can UN intervention help create the necessary conditions for the rule of law at the local level in countries recovering from civil war? This chapter answers this question through a quantitative and qualitative case study of the UN Mission in Liberia (UNMIL). The case study combines an original three-wave panel survey with in-depth, semi-structured interviews conducted with dozens of UN personnel, citizens, local leaders, government officials, and civil society representatives in Liberia. The survey spans a period of four years, covers a wide range of topics, and captures the views of over 10,000 rural Liberians across three waves of data collection. The richness of this data helps isolate the causal impact of UNMIL's activities. The chapter demonstrates that UNMIL increased citizens' willingness to rely on the Liberian police and courts to resolve the most serious incidents of crime and violence, while reducing their use of illegal mechanisms of dispute resolution -- especially trial by ordeal. These effects persist even for at least two years, even in communities that report no further exposure to UNMIL personnel.