Upcoming Events for 2025
November 10, 2025:
The SFRS Lab has invited Dr. Lindsey Pruett to Present:
Public Opinion and Senegal’s Armée-Nation: Preferences on Military Involvement in Economic Development
Abstract:
Armies often take on domestic roles extending far beyond the parameters of security provision. Through service delivery, natural resource management and a variety of civic and economic development schemes, militaries may depict themselves as benign national benefactors. This article examines how these missions shape public opinion towards development, the military, the regime, and military intervention in politics. To address these questions, I examine results from endorsement and conjoint experiments embedded within a survey of 1,017 adults in Senegal in 2023. This builds on a case study of the Senegalese Armed Forces, which has engaged in development schemes since independence under the doctrine of “armée-nation.” I find that people view military-led projects more favorably, though these projects have only slight beneficial effects for the regime, and not for the military itself. Further, the positive effect of military involvement varies strongly across the country, and is strongest in post-conflict areas.
December 12, 2025: CNVP Spotlight Day Event
Alongside the Center for Nonviolence and Peace Studies, the SFRS Lab will participate in CNVP’s Spotlight Day Event held on December 12 at the Hope Room at the URI Welcome Center from 12-7pm.