Illegal and the Informal Innovation in Latin America

• In Event: The Grey Zones of Illegality and Informality: Creativity, Cunning and Innovation

Abstract

In recent years, innovation in illegal and informal contexts has become a fashionable subject within academia. A noteworthy example of the illegal aspect might be the concept of outlaw innovation, suggested by STIS scholars, malevolent creativity, proposed by terrorism studies academics. Management and informatics researchers introduced the concept of underground innovation, among others. In this paper we present the concept of 'Malicia' as a form of tactical intelligence, a form of expertise as result of practice, as a sharp outlook of the situations deployed by the players in the Colombian wars, the War on Drugs (WoD) and the insurgent war. Drawing from interview data with members of the Colombian military, drug smugglers and guerrilla fighters, we carried out a thematic analysis of the sources and interpretations of the Malicia. The main attempt is to situate the concept of Malicia in a way that avoids asymmetrical interpretations of the term, but rather places it as a way of knowing that is both local and strategic for the actors involved in the war on drugs and insurgent war in Colombia. We argue that the Malicia is key to the understanding of the process of innovation in such illegal contexts.

Authors

• Javier Guerrero, Instituto Tecnológico Metropolitano de Medellín

• Óscar Moreno-Martínez, Pontificia Universidad Javeriana