Resumo

ROBINSON, James A. The Misery in Colombia. Desarro. soc. [online]. 2016, n.76, pp.9-90. ISSN 0120-3584.  https://doi.org/10.13043/DYS.76.1.

For most of the country's history, the majority of Colombians have been in absolute poverty and plagued by violence and insecurity. I argue that the extent and persistence of poverty and violence in Colombia is a consequence of extractive facets of political institutions. These have two main dimensions; the very low quality of "actually existing democracy" and the "Janus-faced" nature of the weak, ineffective Colombian state. I provide an analysis of the political logic which maintains the extractive aspects of these institutions in place and how they interact with the inclusive aspects of Colombian institutions. I argue that Colombian institutions have become slowly less extractive over time because of elite attempts to counteract some of the internal contradictions of the coexistence of extractive and inclusive institutions. This has resulted in falls in poverty and violence and a gradual modernization of the country. Nevertheless, the powerful forces which have kept Colombia poor and violent remain in place and powerfully reproduce themselves. I outline what a solution to Colombia's problems might look like.

Palavras-chave : Colombia; poverty; violence; inequality; development; politics.

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