Resumen

FUENTES S., Claudio. La inevitable "mano dura": sociedad civil y violencia policial en Argentina y Chile. Rev. cienc. polít. (Santiago) [online]. 2004, vol.24, n.2, pp.3-28. ISSN 0718-090X.  http://dx.doi.org/10.4067/S0718-090X2004000200001.

Even though modern democratic societies accept the inviolability of individuals' physical integrity as an essential part of their Constitutions, there is a difficult trade off between the protection of citizens' rights and the use of force to protect public safety. This article explores the political dimension of this tension, analyzing the role played by organized civil society in protecting citizens` rights. In this article, I argue that three factors are crucial to understand such influence: the access to the political system, the resources for mobilization these groups have, and the level of police corporativeness. Considering the case of Argentina, the article analyzes the impact of the third dimension -police corporativeness- contrasting the cases of the Federal Police in the Buenos Aires Capital District, the Provincial Police in the surrounding area of Buenos Aires, and the case of Carabineros in Chile. The main claim of this article is that organized civil society has an greater impact over agenda setting than over policy implementation even in cases where civil society is strong. Moreover, institutional factors play a crucial role in solving the question of when and where the influence of civil society is more likely.

Palabras clave : Seguridad Pública; Derechos Humanos; Sociedad Civil; Argentina; Policía; Chile.

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