IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/plo/pone00/0316709.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Spatial analysis of socioeconomic data and its relationship with illicit crops in Nariño-Colombia

Author

Listed:
  • Andrés Fernando Grajales-Marín
  • Fabio Humberto Sepúlveda-Murillo
  • Alex Tapia
  • Alexander Tabares

Abstract

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) aim to eradicate poverty and promote sustainable development; however, socioeconomic disparities persist globally, particularly in Colombia. With a Gini index of 0.556 in 2022, Colombia ranks among the most unequal countries in Latin America, with its southwest region of Nariño facing severe socioeconomic challenges. Concurrently, Nariño registers the highest levels of coca cultivation in Colombia, accounting for 65% of national cocaine production, reflecting the region’s precarious conditions. This study investigates the extent to which the spatial distribution of socioeconomic factors explains coca cultivation patterns in Nariño. Grounded in conflict economics, social capital, and social marginalization theories, the research constructs composite indices representing education, health, public services, economic conditions, and vulnerability. Using spatial analysis, it identifies areas with heightened poverty and vulnerability and examines their relationship with illicit crops. The findings highlight spatial non-stationarity in the factors influencing coca cultivation, offering region-specific insights and policy recommendations to combat illicit crops and foster sustainable development. These results provide a foundation for targeted interventions and contribute to broader strategies addressing inequality and illegal economies in Colombia.

Suggested Citation

  • Andrés Fernando Grajales-Marín & Fabio Humberto Sepúlveda-Murillo & Alex Tapia & Alexander Tabares, 2025. "Spatial analysis of socioeconomic data and its relationship with illicit crops in Nariño-Colombia," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 20(1), pages 1-16, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:plo:pone00:0316709
    DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0316709
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0316709
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0316709&type=printable
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1371/journal.pone.0316709?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Dorothy Kronick, 2020. "Profits and Violence in Illegal Markets: Evidence from Venezuela," Journal of Conflict Resolution, Peace Science Society (International), vol. 64(7-8), pages 1499-1523, August.
    2. Oeindrila Dube & Juan F. Vargas, 2013. "Commodity Price Shocks and Civil Conflict: Evidence from Colombia," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 80(4), pages 1384-1421.
    3. Daron Acemoglu & Camilo García-Jimeno & James A. Robinson, 2015. "State Capacity and Economic Development: A Network Approach," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 105(8), pages 2364-2409, August.
    4. Martha C. Nussbaum, 2015. "Philosophy and Economics in the Capabilities Approach: An Essential Dialogue," Journal of Human Development and Capabilities, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 16(1), pages 1-14, February.
    5. Hernando Zuleta Gonz√°lez, 2017. "Coca, coca√≠na y narcotr√°fico," Documentos CEDE 15634, Universidad de los Andes, Facultad de Economía, CEDE.
    6. Jiménez-Fernández, Eduardo & Sánchez, Angeles & Ortega-Pérez, Mario, 2022. "Dealing with weighting scheme in composite indicators: An unsupervised distance-machine learning proposal for quantitative data," Socio-Economic Planning Sciences, Elsevier, vol. 83(C).
    7. Eleonora Dávalos & Liliana M. Dávalos, 2020. "Social Investment and Smallholder Coca Cultivation in Colombia," Journal of Development Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 56(6), pages 1118-1140, June.
    8. Martha C. Nussbaum, 2016. "Introduction: Aspiration and the Capabilities List," Journal of Human Development and Capabilities, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 17(3), pages 301-308, July.
    9. Williams Gilberto Jiménez-García & Wilson Arenas-Valencia & Natalia Bohorquez-Bedoya, 2023. "Violent Drug Markets: Relation between Homicide, Drug Trafficking and Socioeconomic Disadvantages: A Test of Contingent Causation in Pereira, Colombia," Social Sciences, MDPI, vol. 12(2), pages 1-16, January.
    10. Fabio Humberto Sepúlveda Murillo & Jorge Chica Olmo & Norely Margarita Soto Builes, 2019. "Spatial Variability Analysis of Quality of Life and Its Determinants: A Case Study of Medellín, Colombia," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 144(3), pages 1233-1256, August.
    11. Tatiana Martinez Ferro & Hernando Zuleta, 2019. "Cultivos de Coca y Violencia: El cambio despu√©s de iniciados los di√°logos de paz," Documentos CEDE 17408, Universidad de los Andes, Facultad de Economía, CEDE.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Samuel Bazzi & Robert A. Blair & Christopher Blattman & Oeindrila Dube & Matthew Gudgeon & Richard Peck, 2022. "The Promise and Pitfalls of Conflict Prediction: Evidence from Colombia and Indonesia," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 104(4), pages 764-779, October.
    2. Samuel Bazzi & Matthew Gudgeon, "undated". "Local Government Proliferation, Diversity, and Conflict," Boston University - Department of Economics - The Institute for Economic Development Working Papers Series dp-271, Boston University - Department of Economics.
    3. Leopoldo Fergusson & Pablo Querubin & Nelson A. Ruiz & Juan F. Vargas, 2021. "The Real Winner's Curse," American Journal of Political Science, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 65(1), pages 52-68, January.
    4. Gomez-Gonzalez, Jose E. & Castro-Pantoja, John D. & Díaz-Barreto, Laura C. & Mora-Arbeláez, Tatiana A. & Rodriguez-Novoa, Daniela, 2021. "Bancarization and violent attacks from guerrilla and other illegal groups in Colombia," Socio-Economic Planning Sciences, Elsevier, vol. 78(C).
    5. Zenou, Yves & Amarasinghe, Ashani & Raschky, Paul & Zhou, Junjie, 2020. "Conflicts in Spatial Networks," CEPR Discussion Papers 14300, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    6. Michael D. König & Dominic Rohner & Mathias Thoenig & Fabrizio Zilibotti, 2017. "Networks in Conflict: Theory and Evidence From the Great War of Africa," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 85, pages 1093-1132, July.
    7. Leander Heldring, 2019. "The Origins of Violence in Rwanda," HiCN Working Papers 299, Households in Conflict Network.
    8. Arce, Moises & Nieto-Matiz, Camilo, 2024. "Mining and violence in Latin America: The state’s coercive responses to anti-mining resistance," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 173(C).
    9. Michael D. König & Dominic Rohner & Mathias Thoenig & Fabrizio Zilibotti, 2016. "The Long-lasting Shadow of the Allied Occupation of Austria on its Spatial Equilibrium," HiCN Working Papers 231, Households in Conflict Network.
    10. Giacomo Battiston & Gianmarco Daniele & Marco Le Moglie & Paolo Pinotti, 2022. "Fueling Organized Crime: The Mexican War on Drugs and Oil Thefts," BAFFI CAREFIN Working Papers 22171, BAFFI CAREFIN, Centre for Applied Research on International Markets Banking Finance and Regulation, Universita' Bocconi, Milano, Italy.
    11. Ra�l S�nchez de la Sierra, 2015. "On the Origins of States: Stationary Bandits and Taxation in Eastern Congo," HiCN Working Papers 194, Households in Conflict Network.
    12. Agneman, Gustav & Cappelen, Christoffer & Brandt, Kasper & Sjöberg, David, 2025. "The uneven reach of the state: A novel approach to mapping local state presence," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 174(C).
    13. Pinedo, Wilman J. Iglesias, 2022. "The Effect of Plan Colombia on the Value of Legal Agricultural Production," 2022 Annual Meeting, July 31-August 2, Anaheim, California 322605, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    14. Edgar H. Sanchez-Cuevas, 2018. "Fighting Fire with Aid: Development Assistance as Counterinsurency Tool. Evidence for Colombia," Documentos CEDE 16378, Universidad de los Andes, Facultad de Economía, CEDE.
    15. McCulloch, Neil & Natalini, Davide & Hossain, Naomi & Justino, Patricia, 2022. "An exploration of the association between fuel subsidies and fuel riots," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 157(C).
    16. Rok Spruk, 2021. "Regional convergence and trade liberalization under weak state capacity: evidence from Mexico," European Journal of Comparative Economics, Cattaneo University (LIUC), vol. 18(2), pages 173-216, December.
    17. Thiemo Fetzer & Samuel Marden, 2017. "Take What You Can: Property Rights, Contestability and Conflict," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 0(601), pages 757-783, May.
    18. Balza, Lenin & De Los Rios, Camilo & Jimenez Mori, Raul Alberto & Manzano, Osmel, 2021. "The Local Human Capital Costs of Oil Exploitation," IDB Publications (Working Papers) 11379, Inter-American Development Bank.
    19. Rajko Tomaš, 2022. "Measurement of the Concentration of Potential Quality of Life in Local Communities," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 163(1), pages 79-109, August.
    20. Austin L. Wright, 2016. "Economic Shocks and Rebel," HiCN Working Papers 232, Households in Conflict Network.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:plo:pone00:0316709. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: plosone (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/ .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.