Building Support for the Rehabilitation and Reintegration of Violent Extremists through Transparent Communication

Over the last six years multiple United Nations resolutions have called for governments to develop Rehabilitation and Reintegration (R&R) programmes targeted at violent extremists – advocating their crucial role in preventing terrorism and reoffending (UNOCT, 2024). As programmes expand globally, an emerging problem centres on how to build public support for them and how to overcome community opposition through more transparent communications and community engagement (e.g. Blair et al 2022). A lack of public support can undermine R&R efforts and cause a backlash (Clubb and Tapley 2018). However, it is unclear what shapes public views of R&R programmes. Moreover, the effect of different communication strategies is unknown, in particular, the key role of transparent communications in shaping public support for and trust in such programmes. This project will provide an evidence base to inform R&R communications strategies, through which public support and trust can be built. The research will examine to what extent exposure to more information about a policy - policy transparency - increases support and trust in R&R programmes. A widespread but untested assumption informing current R&R communication strategies is that greater transparency can increase public support and trust in these programmes (e.g. Briggs 2010). Conversely, research in communications studies indicates strongly that transparency has the opposite effect, reducing support and trust in public policy areas such as R&R programmes (e.g. de Fine Licht 2014a). Other studies have identified that credible messengers and messages that signal an offender’s redemption builds support (e.g. Godefroight and Langer 2023), yet the effects of messenger and message have been conflated (Clubb et al 2024a). The intellectual and empirical challenge the project will address, therefore, is to provide a comprehensive evidence base to understand the determinants of public support for R&R, and the extent to which existing communications strategies have a positive effect on public support for R&R programmes. This project will conduct a series of survey experiments in three case study countries – Nigeria, the UK and the US – to collect data on the effect of different forms of communications on building support and trust in R&R programmes. The cases have been selected as they are key locations for different types of R&R programmes, enabling theory testing that can make the findings generalisable and contribute to research in other disciplines. The project will be the first to explore public support for the reintegration of individuals exiting violent extremism inside and outside their respective judicial systems. Furthermore, we will conduct a Delphi study with leading R&R practitioners as part of our impact strategy – Delphi surveys are a well-established method for identifying perceptions of best practices among practitioners and to facilitate policy change (Makhmutov 2021). The proposed data collection is substantial but feasible because it builds upon the research team members’ previous work in this area, leveraging their long-established network of practitioners. The project will deliver three academic publications targeted at high impact (i.e. Q1) journals to make a significant contribution to literature in international politics, communications studies and criminology. The Delphi study will support practitioner engagement and deliver a report on best-practices. A Community Engagement Toolkit informed by the research and co-produced with practitioners will be developed to support R&R communications strategies. The Toolkit will be delivered in a training workshop for practitioners, targeting United Nations agencies and key international practitioners.