TY - JOUR
T1 - Political openness and armed conflict
T2 - Evidence from local councils in Colombia
AU - Galindo-Silva, Hector
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2020 Elsevier B.V.
PY - 2021/3
Y1 - 2021/3
N2 - In this paper, I empirically investigate how the openness of political institutions to diverse representation can impact conflict-related violence. Regression discontinuity estimates that exploit plausibly exogenous variations in the number of councillors in Colombian municipalities show that political openness substantially decreases conflict-related violence, namely the killing of civilian non-combatants. Empirical evidence suggests that the lower level of political violence stems from parties with close links to armed groups having greater representation on larger municipal councils. Using data about the types of violence employed by these groups, and government representation, I argue that armed violence has decreased not because of power-sharing arrangements involving armed groups linked to the parties with more political representation, but rather because armed groups with more political power deter other groups from initiating certain types of violence.
AB - In this paper, I empirically investigate how the openness of political institutions to diverse representation can impact conflict-related violence. Regression discontinuity estimates that exploit plausibly exogenous variations in the number of councillors in Colombian municipalities show that political openness substantially decreases conflict-related violence, namely the killing of civilian non-combatants. Empirical evidence suggests that the lower level of political violence stems from parties with close links to armed groups having greater representation on larger municipal councils. Using data about the types of violence employed by these groups, and government representation, I argue that armed violence has decreased not because of power-sharing arrangements involving armed groups linked to the parties with more political representation, but rather because armed groups with more political power deter other groups from initiating certain types of violence.
KW - Armed conflict
KW - Municipal councils
KW - Political openness
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85097478791&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.ejpoleco.2020.101984
DO - 10.1016/j.ejpoleco.2020.101984
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85097478791
SN - 0176-2680
VL - 67
JO - European Journal of Political Economy
JF - European Journal of Political Economy
M1 - 101984
ER -