At its core, countering violent extremism, or CVE, is an approach to preventing ideologically motivated violence utilizing policies and practices that go beyond surveilling, arresting, and prosecuting potential suspects of violent extremism. As a result, both the “toolset” and the range of actors is expanded to include social services, education, faith-based institutions, mental health, and others operating in the social domain to create positive alternatives for individuals and families.
Efforts to implement CVE often include calls for public-private partnerships (PPPs) and involvement from civil society and local government. While there is a growing body of research seeking to provide insights on promising practices for PPPs and civil society-led efforts, there is still little information on what local governments can do, particularly within a U.S. domestic context. Following earlier exploratory CVE research into topics such as public-private partnerships and counter-narratives, in this Discussion Point, we articulate four field principles for local government practitioners that can be used to inform their CVE policy formation and implementation. Our principles are (1) Convene and Facilitate a Collective Vision, (2) Provide Structure and Enable Communities, (3) Scale-up Innovations, (4) Evaluate, Report and Guide.
Publication Information
Silyan-Saba, Joumana and Alejandro Beutel. 2016. "CVE Field Principles for Local Government Agencies." START (December). https://www.start.umd.edu/news/cve-field-principles-local-government-agencies