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Colombia: Democratic but Violent?

In: Roots of Underdevelopment

Author

Listed:
  • Leopoldo Fergusson

    (Universidad de los Andes)

  • Juan F. Vargas

    (University of Turin)

Abstract
Colombia is a Latin American outlier in that it has traditionally been a very violent country, yet at the same time remarkably democratic. This chapter explores Colombia’s puzzle from a political economy perspective, shedding light on the broader relationship between democracy and violence. The chapter studies some of the most important democratization reforms since Colombia’s independence 200 years ago. It argues that the reforms often failed to curb violence and sometimes even actively, though perhaps unintendedly, exacerbated violent political strife. Democratic reforms were unable to set the ground for genuine power-sharing. They were often implemented amidst a weak institutional environment that allowed powerful elites, the reforms’ ex-ante political losers, to capture the State and offset the benefits of the reforms for the broader society. We conclude by highlighting the implications of the argument for other countries facing democratic reforms, as well as for Colombia’s current peace-building efforts.

Suggested Citation

  • Leopoldo Fergusson & Juan F. Vargas, 2023. "Colombia: Democratic but Violent?," Springer Books, in: Felipe Valencia Caicedo (ed.), Roots of Underdevelopment, pages 285-316, Springer.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:sprchp:978-3-031-38723-4_10
    DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-38723-4_10
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Daron Acemoglu & James A. Robinson, 2001. "A Theory of Political Transitions," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 91(4), pages 938-963, September.
    2. Daron Acemoglu & Simon Johnson & James A. Robinson, 2002. "Reversal of Fortune: Geography and Institutions in the Making of the Modern World Income Distribution," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 117(4), pages 1231-1294.
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    9. Leopoldo Fergusson, 2019. "Who wants violence? The political economy of conflict and state building in Colombia," Revista Cuadernos de Economia, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, FCE, CID, vol. 38(78), pages 671-700, November.
    10. Siwan Anderson & Patrick Francois & Ashok Kotwal, 2015. "Clientelism in Indian Villages," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 105(6), pages 1780-1816, June.
    11. Alvarez Villa, Daphne, 2013. "Political Inequality and the Origins of Distrust: Evidence for Colombia," Discussion Papers in Economics 17198, University of Munich, Department of Economics.
    12. Leopoldo Fergusson & Pablo Querubin & Nelson A. Ruiz & Juan F. Vargas, 2021. "The Real Winner's Curse," American Journal of Political Science, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 65(1), pages 52-68, January.
    13. Daron Acemoglu & Leopoldo Fergusson & James Robinson & Dario Romero & Juan F. Vargas, 2020. "The Perils of High-Powered Incentives: Evidence from Colombia's False Positives," American Economic Journal: Economic Policy, American Economic Association, vol. 12(3), pages 1-43, August.
    14. Raphael Bruce & Rudi Rocha, 2014. "The Reaction of Elites in a Democratization Process: Evidence from Brazil," Working Papers, Department of Economics 2014_09, University of São Paulo (FEA-USP).
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    Cited by:

    1. Holmes, Jennifer S. & Palao, Agustin & Callenes, Mercedez & Silva, Neil Ortiz & Cardenas, Alvaro, 2023. "Attacking the grid: Lessons from a guerrilla conflict and efforts for peace in Colombia: 1990–2018," International Journal of Critical Infrastructure Protection, Elsevier, vol. 42(C).

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Colombia; Democracy; Democratization; Conflict; Violence; Power-sharing; Political institutions;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D72 - Microeconomics - - Analysis of Collective Decision-Making - - - Political Processes: Rent-seeking, Lobbying, Elections, Legislatures, and Voting Behavior
    • D74 - Microeconomics - - Analysis of Collective Decision-Making - - - Conflict; Conflict Resolution; Alliances; Revolutions
    • P48 - Political Economy and Comparative Economic Systems - - Other Economic Systems - - - Legal Institutions; Property Rights; Natural Resources; Energy; Environment; Regional Studies

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