Beyond Presence: UN Peacekeepers and Cooperative Contact- Evidence from a RCT in South Sudan

How does direct interaction with UN peacekeepers shape civilian attitudes and behavior in conflict-affected settings? We investigate this question using a block-paired cluster randomized controlled trial conducted in Juba, South Sudan. Within each of 15 geographic blocks, we randomly assigned one community to receive structured interaction with United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) patrols, while a matched community served as a control. Our final sample consists of 360 participants across 30 communities. We integrate survey-based measures of attitudes and institutional perceptions with three incentivized behavioral games designed to capture cooperation across ethnic lines. We argue that peacekeeper contact matters not simply through exposure, but through the nature of interaction. Specifically, we theorize that cooperative contact with peacekeepers may influence civilian attitudes and behavior through four pathways: updating perceptions of mission effectiveness, shaping intergroup attitudes, facilitating prosocial behavior across ethnic lines, and influencing confidence in domestic institutions. The design also allows us to examine heterogeneity by prior exposure to violence, baseline exposure to patrols, and ethnic identity.