Perceptions of police ineffectiveness and street codes by nationality in South Korea: an application of Anderson's code of the street framework
Policing: An International Journal
ISSN: 1363-951X
Article publication date: 2 August 2023
Issue publication date: 27 March 2024
Abstract
Purpose
This study explores the applicability of Anderson's (1999) code of the street framework to an Asian context by examining the relationship between residents' perceptions of police ineffectiveness, nationality, and street codes in foreigner-concentrated areas in South Korea.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors used survey data from 1,865 residents of diverse nationalities living in 20 foreigner-concentrated areas in South Korea. Mixed-effects ordinary least squares (OLS) regression and moderation analysis were used to examine (1) the association between residents' perceptions of police ineffectiveness and their street codes and (2) how this association varies across nationality groups.
Findings
The study findings overall indicated that higher resident perceptions of police as ineffective tended to correspond with greater levels of street codes. However, the interaction analysis results found that this relationship was conditioned by nationality. Specifically, perceptions of police ineffectiveness were associated with greater levels of street codes among foreign residents, particularly Korean-Chinese residents, whereas this was not the case among Korean residents.
Originality/value
The relationship between perceptions of the police and street codes described by Anderson (1999) has primarily been examined in the context of the U.S. To the best of the authors' knowledge, this study represents the first attempt to explore the link between residents' perceptions of the police and street codes by different nationality groups within an Asian setting.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
This paper forms part of a special section “Policing and Asian communities: An area that has been neglected by police scholars”, guest edited by Hyeyoung Lim, Brian Lawton and John J. Sloan.
The authors are grateful to Ben Mackey for his helpful feedback on earlier versions of this manuscript. The authors also extend their thanks to the editorial team and anonymous reviewers for their invaluable comments on this article.
Funding: This work was funded by Dong-A University. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the institution.
Citation
Kuen, K., Kwak, H. and Ra, K.H. (2024), "Perceptions of police ineffectiveness and street codes by nationality in South Korea: an application of Anderson's code of the street framework", Policing: An International Journal, Vol. 47 No. 2, pp. 215-229. https://doi.org/10.1108/PIJPSM-01-2023-0010
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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