Public Goods and Civil War: Paramilitary Cooptation of Institutions and Roads

• In Event: Public Goods Provision during War: Evidence from the Colombian Case

Abstract

There is abundant literature explaining why private firms would be reluctant to participate in the provision of public goods in contexts of violence, yet public goods are provided in these contexts and private partners play an important role in such provision. What explains private participation in the provision of public goods in contexts of violence? I argue that the provision of public goods through private participation can increase when political institutions are co-opted by actors that are interested in attracting private investment and able to provide a safety net for private partners to carry on with their business as usual. To test this claim, I analyze the effect of paramilitary cooptation on private participation in the provision of roads.

Author

• Camila Angulo Amaya, University of Wisconsin, Madison