Conflict Management and Peace Science
2018

Confronting human trafficking: The role of state capacity (Article in Press)

Blanton R.G.* , Blanton S.L. , Peksen D.
  • a Department of Political Science and Public Administration, University of Alabama at Birmingham, United States
  • b Department of Political Science and Public Administration, Honors College, University of Alabama at Birmingham, United States
  • c Department of Political Science, The University of Memphis, United States

Abstract

While human trafficking occupies a prominent place on the global policy agenda, many aspects of this phenomenon remain empirically underdeveloped. We examine the role of state capacity in these illicit supply chains, positing that trafficking flows may persist because even well-intentioned states might lack the requisite capacity to take effective action. Along those lines, we assess the impact of two facets of state capacity, bureaucratic efficacy and fiscal capacity, upon the probability of a country being a source or destination for the two types of human trafficking, forced labor and prostitution. We find that state capacity, particularly fiscal capacity, is significantly related to reduced labor and sex trafficking at both the source and destination levels. © The Author(s) 2018.

Author Keywords

Human trafficking state capacity human security illicit economy

Index Keywords

[No Keywords available]
Link
https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85052698557&doi=10.1177%2f0738894218789875&partnerID=40&md5=fe696c8fe41c5d7a3eb6b7ef053b945f
DOI: 10.1177/0738894218789875
ISSN: 07388942
Original Language: English