The Social Contours of State-Building: Evidence from the Andean Coca Economy

• In Event: Criminal States, State Criminals II. Coca Cultivation and Eradication

Brief Overview

What explains variation in statebuilding across space? I argue that mass culture shapes the geography of state presence: in deciding where to invest limited governance resources, policymakers are influenced by prevailing societal values. I examine this argument in the context of the Andean coca economy. Leveraging a novel dataset of geolocated state institutions, roads, and natural crop suitability, I show that the relationship between coca cultivation and state service provision hinges on social conceptions of the coca economy. In Colombia, where coca is widely stigmatized, communities where conditions are suitable for coca cultivation are more isolated from state institutions. In contrast, coca-suitable communities in Bolivia, where the crop is broadly valued, have better access to state services. In Peru, where social conceptions of coca are mixed, I find no difference in state presence. These results underscore the importance of considering citizens’ values and preferences in models of contemporary statebuilding.

Author

• Andres Uribe, University of Wisconsin–Madison