Can Crime Foster Social Participation as Conflict Can?*

Abstract

ObjectiveRecent literature indicates that exposure to conflict can foster participation. Scholars often point to the social dynamics related to conflict to explain this finding. This article examines individual coping as alternative explanation. It should influence victims of violence independently of the origin of victimization.MethodsUsing data from four survey waves in Colombia conducted between 2013 and 2015 (N = 5,536), victims of conflict actors are compared to victims of common delinquency with fixed effects regression analysis.ResultsBoth conflict and crime victims show elevated levels of participation in social organizations across a series of model specifications.ConclusionTheories related to the social dynamics of conflict cannot explain why crime victims show similarly elevated levels of participation as conflict victims. Individual coping theory provides an alternative. According to this theory, victims of violence seek support and participation to deal with emotional stress independent of the source of victimization.