Community Counts: The Social Reintegration of Ex-Combatants in Colombia

Abstract:     
What are the determinants of the social reintegration of ex-combatants from armed conflicts? In post-conflict settings around the world there has been growing interest in and reliance upon community-based programs and activities to bring ex-combatants back into society. Implicit in these programs is the theory that the social participation of ex-combatants in the communities where they settle and their acceptance by these communities are helpful for minimizing recidivism to illegal activities and increasing perceptions of security. Participation can help ex-combatants feel socially fulfilled and acceptance by their communities can reduce their needs to maintain social connections to their former armed group networks and bosses. We evaluate individual-level, community-level, and broader security environment predictors of social reintegration using data from a survey of ex-combatants from Colombia. The results suggest that more socially and politically aware ex-combatants in more participatory communities are likely to have an easier time with social reintegration.

Number of Pages in PDF File: 43

Keywords: community, reintegration, DDR, social capital, Colombia, civil war

working papers series