Civil culture is key to reduce violence study finds - Inter-American Development Bank

Civic culture is key to reduce violence, study finds

IDB-sponsored study explores how changes in civic culture are needed to achieve long-term success in mitigating violence

Any successful strategy to prevent violence should include measures to recognize and change behaviors prompted by beliefs, emotions and cultural factors, according to a new study sponsored by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB).

It is not enough to increase police capacity, reduce socioeconomic inequalities or amend laws to achieve deep changes in the safety of Latin American cities the study says. "Antipodes of Violence" examines civic culture as a way to transform harmful behaviors that affect the lives and safety of other citizens, to help cut the high murder rates and personal injuries in Latin America and the Caribbean.

According to the study, culture may help explain, interpret and regulate the behaviors of individuals. In the study culture is defined as the universe of social norms, attitudes, beliefs and habits shared by individuals in a social group, in which the goal is living in a community without violence.

The Civic Culture Survey was carried out in Latin American cities such as Belo Horizonte, Mexico City, Quito, La Paz, Bogotá, Medellín and Caracas. It analyzed safety and socioeconomic data, and explored the role of beliefs and attitudes on violence and insecurity.

"People's behaviors have a cultural basis that governments can help change with the aim of improving peaceful coexistence and security," says Efraín Sánchez, researcher, sociologist and co-author of the study. "Harmony or disharmony among law, morality, and culture often determines the attitudes of people before the law, and lie at the root of legal or illegal behaviors. When a society or social group approves illegal behavior and disapproves of legal behavior, the law naturally loses authority as a regulatory system, and the likelihood of committing illegal acts increases."

http://www.iadb.org/en/news/webstories/2012-05-30/civil-culture-is-key-to-reduce-violence-study-finds,9956.html?wt.mc_id=NewsEmail_Long_9956&wtarticleid=9956&wtsrc=Email&wttype=Long

~~~❤Peace & Harmony🙏~~~