%0 Journal Article %T The States Must Be Crazy: Dissent and the Puzzle of Repressive Persistence %A Christian Davenport %A Cyanne Loyle %J International Journal of Conflict and Violence %D 2012 %I University of Bielefeld %X According to forty years worth of research, dissent always increases repression whereas state coercive behavior has a range of different influences on dissident activity. If the outcome of government action is uncertain, why do authorities continue to apply repression? We explore this ¡°puzzle of repressive persistence¡± using official records of U.S. government activities against the Republic of New Africa, a Black Nationalist organization active in the late 1960s and early 1970s. In particular, we investigate three proposed answers to the puzzle: repression is effective but in a way not currently considered; repression functions by mechanisms not hitherto considered by quantitative researchers; or those who use repression are not actually interested in eliminating dissent. We find that persistence in this case can be attributed to: 1) a long-term plan to eliminate challengers deemed threatening to the U.S. political-economy and 2) the influence of particular agents of repression engaged in a crusade against Black radicals. Both factors increased the likelihood of continued coercion despite short-term failure; indeed such an outcome actually called for additional repressive action. These insights open up a new area of research for conflict scholars interested in occurrence, persistence and escalation. %K Repression %K dissent %K counter-insurgency %K counter-terrorism %K protest policing %K radicalism %K social movements %U http://ijcv.org/index.php/ijcv/article/view/187/pdf_51