Abstract
States around the world are fortifying their international borders at unprecedented rates. While only seven states had fortified their borders with walls or fences as of the end of World War Two, this number has now grown to more than 75. Why do states build walls on their international borders? While states may build walls to ameliorate the consequences of cross-border economic inequalities and to defend against transnational security threats, we suggest that another compelling logic stems from domestic politics and leaders’ desire to remain in office. Building on assumptions furnished by diversionary theory, we argue that national political leaders at risk of losing office are incentivized to implement popular policies, such as border wall construction, hoping that doing so will prompt a domestic rally effect. To test this argument, we assemble a global dataset of leader-years and find that politically insecure leaders are more likely to be seen to start and continue border wall construction.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 704-728 |
Number of pages | 25 |
Journal | Journal of Conflict Resolution |
Volume | 66 |
Issue number | 4-5 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - May 2022 |
Keywords
- border walls
- counterterrorism
- domestic politics
- international security
- national security
- political survival
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- General Business, Management and Accounting
- Sociology and Political Science
- Political Science and International Relations
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Dive into the research topics of 'Why Do Leaders Build Walls? Domestic Politics, Leader Survival, and The Fortification of Borders'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.Datasets
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Why Do Leaders Build Walls? Domestic Politics, Leader Survival, and The Fortification of Borders
Linebarger, C. (Creator) & Braithwaite, A. (Creator), SAGE Journals, 2022
DOI: 10.25384/sage.c.5873402, https://sage.figshare.com/collections/Why_Do_Leaders_Build_Walls_Domestic_Politics_Leader_Survival_and_The_Fortification_of_Borders/5873402
Dataset
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Why Do Leaders Build Walls? Domestic Politics, Leader Survival, and The Fortification of Borders
Linebarger, C. (Creator) & Braithwaite, A. (Creator), SAGE Journals, 2022
DOI: 10.25384/sage.c.5873402.v1, https://sage.figshare.com/collections/Why_Do_Leaders_Build_Walls_Domestic_Politics_Leader_Survival_and_The_Fortification_of_Borders/5873402/1
Dataset
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Why Do Leaders Build Walls? Domestic Politics, Leader Survival, and The Fortification of Borders
Linebarger, C. (Creator) & Braithwaite, A. (Creator), SAGE Journals, 2022
DOI: 10.25384/sage.c.5873402.v1, https://sage.figshare.com/collections/Why_Do_Leaders_Build_Walls_Domestic_Politics_Leader_Survival_and_The_Fortification_of_Borders/5873402/1
Dataset