“A Dagger Through the Skull and Nothing to the Wallet“

Abstract: “A dagger through the skull and nothing to the wallet“ is a common expression for the situation in the squatter societies of Rio de Janeiro. It is used equally amongst the residents of the slums or “favelas” as they are called, as well as used by the recently implemented pacifying police force that work there. In Rio de Janeiro there are 17 murders committed everyday. The majority of those murders occur in the favelas. Almost four years have passed since the efforts at pacification were initiated, but the implementation’s effectiveness is being disputed. In this thesis I challenge and discuss the concept of social contract by describing the mechanisms behind the sense-of-security in a former privately held monopoly of violence. I find empirical evidence and theoretical support that the sense-of-security in a “pacified” favela is suppressed by inefficient government capacity. The empirical material was gathered through qualitative interviews and participatory observation in one of the favelas. The research material is analyzed through Charles Tilly’s theory of state formation. The material is further developed with an in-depth investigation that relies upon Samuel P. Huntington’s theory of civil- military relations and Bo Rothstein’s theory of intrapersonal trust.