Reintegrating Rebels into Civilian Life

Michael J. Gilligan (), Eric N. Mvukiyehe and Cyrus Samii
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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

Journal of Conflict Resolution, 2013, vol. 57, issue 4, 598-626

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.

Keywords: civil war; rebellion; post-conflict reconstruction; reintegration (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2013
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:sae:jocore:v:57:y:2013:i:4:p:598-626

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