Norms and Networks: Preferences for Armed Group Governance in Colombia

• In Event: Political Order in Rebel Governance

Abstract

How do civilians respond to armed groups’ efforts to govern them in areas contested by multiple actors? Questions about support of the governed are at the center of theories about state-building. legitimacy, and political order. We theorize how social networks, norms, service provision, violence and ideology influence citizens' comparative judgments about armed group rule. We report results from a conjoint survey experiment in Colombia administered to 2,397 respondents across 54 municipalities recently or currently contested by multiple armed groups. The most striking findings relate to norms, networks, and local institutions. We find that armed groups which take tradition and community norms into account as well as those that adopt inclusive governance -- involving local leaders in decision-making -- receive fewer negative assessments. Networks also matter: compared to armed groups reported to have the support of only a few, armed groups that obtain the support of a respondent's friends and family, or the support of a majority of community members, are less likely to be characterized negatively. We discuss implications for understanding civilian preferences for governance generally, and armed group governance in particular.

Authors

• Erica Susanne De Bruin, Hamilton College

• Gabriella Levy, University of Washington

• Livia Isabella Schubiger, ETH Zurich