Conflict, Development and the Fluidity of Violence: Colombia and Beyond

Abstract

This chapter discusses the casual mechanisms observed in Chaps. 4 and 5, which are argued to positively link civil war violence and economic development in Colombia. Chapter 6 also introduces the concept of the ‘fluidity of civil war violence’, an understanding that different types of civil war violence perpetrated by different groups can have very different economic effects. It is further argued that studies should avoid a rigid view of civil war when analysing the economic effects of political violence. Chapter 6 then discusses the broader implications of the Colombian case, including a discussion of global trends in palm oil, as well as examples of other countries with civil wars and their economic trends.