The empirical material from research project C3 is comprised of over hundred qualitative interviews on the topic of security governance in Latin America with a focus on Argentina, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Mexico (in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries; most interviewees were guaranteed anonymity). The material provides a glimpse into the different constellations of actors on the local/city level and ways in which negotiation-oriented governance configurations in the field of public security are formed (research period 1). The first research period showed that in Argentina and Mexico, the state police force and other security actors do not guarantee security, but often present as a factor in insecurity. This is also the case for El Salvador and Guatemala, which were analyzed in research periods 2 and 3. Additionally, the material illustrates the complex interactions of local, national, and international actors in the area of security governance, particularly and especially the contingent results of transnational reform processes and international security programs, which are often subsumed by local political conflicts. Additionally, the interviews conducted offer a future outlook on the role of external governance actors and the formation and local adoption of international security expertise (research periods 2 and 3). The material also provides a glimpse into the effects of security governance transfers on the local and national level (research periods 2 and 2), as well as their (limited) effectiveness. Furthermore, the material shows the effects of the historical legacy of such transfers on present-day interventions (research period 3). If interested in the questionnaires used and the interview data collected, contact Prof. Dr. Marianne Braig.

Contact: Prof. Dr. Marianne Braig, mbraig@zedat.fu-berlin.de