From Combatants to Civilians: The Effects of DDR Programs on Combatant Well-Being

• In Event: Transitioning From Conflict to Peace: The Case of Colombia

Abstract

In order to successfully transition out of war, societies must ensure that the thousands of fighters who took part in combat are reintegrated into civilian life. Failure to reintegrate can result in recidivism, involvement in criminal activity, as well as poverty and exclusion on the part of ex-combatants. Despite the importance of successful reintegration we have little data on state-led reintegration efforts, driven in part by the relative rarity of reintegration programs and the difficulty of collecting data from ex-combatant populations. In this project, we bring to light a survey of 1,300 ex-combatants at various stages of Colombia's national reintegration program. Combined with qualitative data from interviews and focus groups, we evaluate the successes and pitfalls of a very large and substantively important reintegration program in the domains of economic, social, and psychological reintegration. The findings speak to the factors that can foster and inhibit ex-combatant reintegration into civilian life and have implications for actors seeking to improve reintegration policy.

Authors

• Juan Fernando Tellez, University of California, Davis

• Mateo Villamizar Chaparro, Duke Univeristy