Tellez & Stewart publish on rebel economic subversion in Colombia in International Studies Quarterly

Associate Professor Juan Tellez and PhD candidate Anya Stewart published "Economic Subversion in Civil Wars: Evidence from the Colombian Armed Conflict" in International Studies Quarterly. The paper introduces the concept of 'economic subversion'—rebel attacks that disrupt normal economic activity and impose large costs on the state and civilians—and tests its logic using historical data from Colombia's armed conflict (1993–2010). Using road connectivity as a measure of economic value, the authors show that rebels systematically targeted municipalities important to internal trade, with attacks intensifying during peace negotiations. Evidence on whether state fortification deterred such tactics was mixed, highlighting the substantial leeway rebels have to inflict economic damage on the state. https://doi.org/10.1093/isq/sqaf084