The embeddedness of sex trafficking in Nigeria: an institutional approach - Диссертация

FEDERAL STATE AUTONOMOUS EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTION FOR HIGHER EDUCATION NATIONAL RESEARCH UNIVERSITY HIGHER SCHOOL OF ECONOMICS Faculty of Social Sciences Master thesis The Embeddedness of Sex Trafficking in Nigeria: An Institutional Approach Field of study: 38.04.04 Public Administration and Municipal Management Master’s program Population and Development Patrick Whelan, Reviewer Candidate of Sciences (Ph.D.) Svetlana S. Biryukova, Scientific Supervisor Candidate of Sciences (Ph.D.) Ruben Flores, Consultant Doctor of Sciences (D.Sc.) Leonid Y. Kosals Moscow - 2017 Contents Abstract Acknowledgments Introduction 1. Literature, Theory, and Clarification of Concepts 1.1 Victimhood and Labels 1.2 Consent 1.3 Processes, Power, and Transformation 1.4 Institutions and Embeddedness 1.5 The Need for a Theoretical Framework 2. Methodology 2.1 Data Collection 2.2 Data Analysis 3. Findings 3.1 Nigeria - Moscow ST Cycle 3.1.1 Nigeria - Moscow Power - Dependence Mechanisms 3.2 Nigeria - Italy 3.2.1 Nigeria - Italy Power - Dependence Mechanisms 3.3 Nigerian Sex Trafficking as an Institution 3.4 The Institutional Framework and Embeddedness of Nigerian ST 3.4.1 Formal Rules and their Enforcement 3.4.2 The Economy 3.4.3 The Family 3.4.4 Religion 3.4.5 Informal Institutions 3.4.6 Summary 4. Implications of Embedded Sex Trafficking 5. Recommendations 5.1 Nigeria 5.2 Host Countries Conclusion References List of Abbreviations Appendices Abstract The purpose of this research is to go beyond the superficial moral crusade surrounding Nigerian sex trafficking (ST) and examine it through social embeddedness theory to see the institutional roots of the phenomenon. This allows for an approach towards social change instead of the current one of repression and rehabilitation of the victims. Regardless of any moral judgments, I argue that ST is socially and economically embedded in Nigerian society and is supported and facilitated by its institutional environment. Proving this would allow policymakers to take the necessary actions to initiate change, including working together with communities to find institutional solutions to the problems creating ST. The problem with studying an institutional environment is its complexity, in that the institutions involved can be difficult to reveal, understand, and change. Analyzing the process and its principal factors, I developed an institutional framework with five elements. They are the formal rules and their enforcement; the economy; the family; religion; and informal institutions. To gather data about the institutional environment surrounding ST, I carried out an interdisciplinary study involving 32 interviews with trafficked women, anti-trafficking experts, academia, government officials, law enforcement, a public prosecutor, and a reformed pimp. From the patterns that emerged, I constructed the cycles that trafficking to Italy and Russia follows, which exposed the institutionalization of ST. By analyzing its interactions with other institutions, I showed how the institutional environment embeds ST, making it necessary, possible, and profitable. From there I derive implications as to what embedded ST means for society, namely, that ST will continue to thrive as a viable economic opportunity, solidifying the institution of exploitation-garnered empowerment, and further ‘othering’ of the Nigerian, reducing legitimate opportunities and reinforcing the institutional trap. My primary recommendation is for policymakers to revisit their method of governance, recognizing the failure of democracy in Nigeria’s weak institutional environment, but also the danger of dictatorship in a fractionalized state, opting, therefore, for a representative authoritarian meritocracy. I also propose that the government work with the community in examining its institutions so that relevant, holistic solutions can be found to increase trust and strengthen institutions, reduce personal development costs, enable opportunities, decrease corruption, and lead the region to greater socio-economic development to stop ST at the root. Keywords: exploitation, informal institutions, institutional framework, othering, power, processual theory, social crime, social networks, socio-economic development Acknowledgments Writing this thesis has been a transformative experience. As a lifelong student of the human condition, delving into the institutional underpinnings of society to explain sex trafficking has radically enhanced my vision of how the world works, whether related to ST or not. What enabled me to apply institutional theory to such a complex problem and to gain as much as I did, was the background I received throughout the Master program at HSE. The Population and Development program, with its broad range of subjects designed to guide the student towards looking for answers everywhere, because there is no problem in the world that is unidisciplinary, set the stage for the broad approach taken in this paper. I will forever be gra