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Oil palm development and forced displacement in Colombia: Causal or spurious?

Author

Listed:
  • Mónica Hurtado
  • Catherine Pereira-Villa
  • Edgar Villa

Abstract

This article analyses whether forced displacement in the Magdalena Department (Colombia) between 2000-2010 was caused not only by the intensity of the armed conflict but also by the growth of the palm agribusiness. We find that a seven percentage point increase in the area used to produce palm per municipality caused an increase of a third of a standard deviation in the rate of forced displacement. These calculations were made on average and after controlling for armed conflict. We rationalize this finding by the fact that the development of the palm oil agribusiness caused displacement due to its land-intensive technology, increasing international prices combined with government subsidies, and the process was aided by paramilitary activities in the region. ***** Este artículo analiza si el desplazamiento forzado en el departamento del Magdalena (Colombia) entre los anos 2000-2010 tuvo como causa no solo la intensidad del conflicto armado sino también el crecimiento del agronegocio de la palma. Encontramos que un aumento del 7% en la zona utilizada para la producción de palma por municipalidad causó un aumento de un tercio de una desviación estándar en el índice de desplazamiento forzado. Dichos cálculos se hicieron por término medio y tras el control del conflicto armado. Racionalizamos este hallazgo por el hecho de que el desarrollo del agronegocio del aceite de palma provocó desplazamiento debido a su tecnología intensiva en tierra, aumento de precios internacionales combinado con subsidios gubernamentales y que al proceso contribuyeron actividades paramilitares en la región.

Suggested Citation

  • Mónica Hurtado & Catherine Pereira-Villa & Edgar Villa, 2017. "Oil palm development and forced displacement in Colombia: Causal or spurious?," Revista Cuadernos de Economia, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, FCE, CID, vol. 36(71), pages 441-468, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:col:000093:015364
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Collier, Paul & Hoeffler, Anke, 1998. "On Economic Causes of Civil War," Oxford Economic Papers, Oxford University Press, vol. 50(4), pages 563-573, October.
    2. Paul Collier, 2000. "Rebellion as a Quasi-Criminal Activity," Journal of Conflict Resolution, Peace Science Society (International), vol. 44(6), pages 839-853, December.
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    Cited by:

    1. Millán-Quijano, Jaime & Pulgarín, Sebastián, 2023. "Oiling up the field. Forced internal displacement and the expansion of palm oil in Colombia," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 162(C).
    2. Camilo Nieto-Matiz, 2023. "Land and State Capacity During Civil Wars: How Land-Based Coalitions Undermine Property Taxation in Colombia," Journal of Conflict Resolution, Peace Science Society (International), vol. 67(4), pages 701-727, April.
    3. Maximilian Graser & Michelle Bonatti & Luca Eufemia & Héctor Morales & Marcos Lana & Katharina Löhr & Stefan Sieber, 2020. "Peacebuilding in Rural Colombia—A Collective Perception of the Integrated Rural Reform (IRR) in the Department of Caquetá (Amazon)," Land, MDPI, vol. 9(2), pages 1-17, January.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Forced displacement; palm oil agribusiness; armed conflict; microeconometric panel data model;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • C23 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Single Equation Models; Single Variables - - - Models with Panel Data; Spatio-temporal Models
    • N56 - Economic History - - Agriculture, Natural Resources, Environment and Extractive Industries - - - Latin America; Caribbean
    • O13 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Agriculture; Natural Resources; Environment; Other Primary Products
    • Q13 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Agriculture - - - Agricultural Markets and Marketing; Cooperatives; Agribusiness

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