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Reintegrating Rebels into Civilian Life

Author

Listed:
  • Michael J. Gilligan

    (Department of Politics, New York University, New York, NY, USA)

  • Eric N. Mvukiyehe

    (Department of Political Science, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA)

  • Cyrus Samii

    (Department of Politics, New York University, New York, NY, USA)

Abstract

Considerable resources are devoted to ex-combatant reintegration programs in current peace processes, but evidence on their effectiveness remains thin. We use original survey data to study an ex-combatant reintegration program implemented after Burundi's 1993-2004 civil war. Previous quantitative studies have found reintegration programs to be ineffective, but only ex-combatants who self-selected into programs were studied. We avoid such selection problems with a quasi-experimental design exploiting an exogenous bureaucratic failure. We find the program resulted in a 20 to 35 percentage point reduction in poverty incidence among ex-combatants and moderate improvement in livelihoods. But this economic boost does not seem to have caused political reintegration: while we find a modest increase in propensities to report civilian life as preferable to combatant life, we find no evidence that the program contributed to either more satisfaction with the peace process or a more positive disposition toward current government institutions.

Suggested Citation

  • Michael J. Gilligan & Eric N. Mvukiyehe & Cyrus Samii, 2013. "Reintegrating Rebels into Civilian Life," Journal of Conflict Resolution, Peace Science Society (International), vol. 57(4), pages 598-626, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:jocore:v:57:y:2013:i:4:p:598-626
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Sarah Zukerman Daly & Laura Paler & Cyrus Samii, 2020. "Wartime ties and the social logic of crime," Journal of Peace Research, Peace Research Institute Oslo, vol. 57(4), pages 536-550, July.
    2. Wolfgang Stojetz & Tilman Brück, 2023. "Exposure to collective gender-based violence causes intimate partner violence," HiCN Working Papers 389, Households in Conflict Network.
    3. Koenig, Christoph, 2023. "Loose Cannons: War Veterans and the Erosion of Democracy in Weimar Germany," The Journal of Economic History, Cambridge University Press, vol. 83(1), pages 167-202, March.
    4. Alyssa K Prorok & Deniz Cil, 2022. "Cheap talk or costly commitment? Leader statements and the implementation of civil war peace agreements," Journal of Peace Research, Peace Research Institute Oslo, vol. 59(3), pages 409-424, May.
    5. Corinne Bara, 2018. "Legacies of Violence," Journal of Conflict Resolution, Peace Science Society (International), vol. 62(9), pages 1991-2016, October.
    6. Olivier Sterck, 2020. "Fighting for Votes: Theory and Evidence on the Causes of Electoral Violence," Economica, London School of Economics and Political Science, vol. 87(347), pages 844-883, July.
    7. Heidi Kaila & Saurabh Singhal & Divya Tuteja, 2017. "Do fences make good neighbours?: Evidence from an insurgency in India," WIDER Working Paper Series wp-2017-158, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    8. Andrea Colombo & Olivia D'Aoust & Olivier Sterck, 2019. "From Rebellion to Electoral Violence: Evidence from Burundi," Economic Development and Cultural Change, University of Chicago Press, vol. 67(2), pages 333-368.
    9. Ferguson, Neil T.N. & Nillesen, Eleonora & Brück, Tilman, 2019. "Can employment build peace? A pseudo-meta-analysis of employment programmes in Africa," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 180(C), pages 99-101.
    10. Sarah Zukerman Daly, 2016. "Determinants of former combatants’ attitudes toward transitional justice," HiCN Working Papers 235, Households in Conflict Network.
    11. Oliver Kaplan & Enzo Nussio, 2018. "Explaining Recidivism of Ex-combatants in Colombia," Journal of Conflict Resolution, Peace Science Society (International), vol. 62(1), pages 64-93, January.
    12. Olivia D�Aoust & Olivier Sterck & Philip Verwimp, 2013. "Buying Peace: The Mirage of Demobilizing Rebels," HiCN Working Papers 145, Households in Conflict Network.
    13. Gaarder, Marie & Annan, Jeannie, 2013. "Impact evaluation of conflict prevention and peacebuilding interventions," Policy Research Working Paper Series 6496, The World Bank.
    14. Michael J. Gilligan, 2016. "Employment and rebellion in conflicted and fragile states," IZA World of Labor, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA), pages 271-271, June.
    15. Tilman Brück & Neil T N Ferguson & Valeria Izzi & Wolfgang Stojetz, 2021. "Can Jobs Programs Build Peace? [Intergroup Conflict and Intra-Group Punishment in an Experimental Contest Game]," The World Bank Research Observer, World Bank, vol. 36(2), pages 234-259.
    16. Tillman Hönig, 2019. "The Impact of Peace: Evidence from Nigeria," HiCN Working Papers 293, Households in Conflict Network.
    17. Tilman Brück & Neil T. N. Ferguson, 2020. "Money can’t buy love but can it buy peace? Evidence from the EU Programme for Peace and Reconciliation (PEACE II)," Conflict Management and Peace Science, Peace Science Society (International), vol. 37(5), pages 536-558, September.
    18. Oliver Kaplan & Enzo Nussio, 2018. "Community counts: The social reintegration of ex-combatants in Colombia," Conflict Management and Peace Science, Peace Science Society (International), vol. 35(2), pages 132-153, March.
    19. Travers Barclay Child & Elena Nikolova, 2017. "War and Social Attitudes: Revisiting Consensus Views," HiCN Working Papers 258, Households in Conflict Network.
    20. Christopher Blattman & Jeannie Annan, 2015. "Can Employment Reduce Lawlessness and Rebellion? A Field Experiment with High-Risk Men in a Fragile State," NBER Working Papers 21289, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.

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