Truly free consent? Clarifying the nature of police legitimacy using causal mediation analysis

Posch, Krisztian, Jackson, Jonathan ORCID: 0000-0003-2426-2219, Bradford, Ben ORCID: 0000-0001-5480-5638 and Macqueen, Sarah (2020) Truly free consent? Clarifying the nature of police legitimacy using causal mediation analysis. Journal of Experimental Criminology. ISSN 1573-3750

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Abstract

Objectives: To test whether normative and non-normative forms of obligation to obey the police are empirically distinct and to assess whether they exhibit different dynamics in terms of the downstream effects of police-citizen contact. Methods: Analysing data from the Scottish Community Engagement Trial of procedurally just policing, we use natural effect modelling for causally ordered mediators to assess causal pathways that include—but also extend beyond—the experimental treatment to procedural justice. Results: Normative and non-normative forms of obligation are empirically distinct. Normative obligation to obey the police is sensitive to procedurally just or unjust police behaviour, and influences cooperation with the police and traffic law compliance in a way that is consistent with procedural justice theory. Non-normative obligation to obey the police is ‘sticky’ and unresponsive. Conclusions: Legitimacy can resonably be defined partly as normative obligation with its expected beneficial downstream effects, so long as it is measured properly.

Item Type:	Article
Official URL:	https://www.springer.com/journal/11292
Additional Information:	© 2020 The Authors
Divisions:	Methodology
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > HV Social pathology. Social and public welfare. Criminology
Date Deposited:	04 Mar 2020 10:18
Last Modified:	12 Dec 2024 02:05
URI:	http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/id/eprint/103680

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