Project Description

This project investigates a critical puzzle for sustainable peace in Colombia: why did the 2016 peace agreement successfully reduce violence yet fail to deliver the economic transformation promised to conflict-affected communities? Using rigorous causal analysis, I find that violence fell by 40-50% in former FARC territories, but economic conditions did not improve, likely because the state never entered these areas to provide basic governance. Through fieldwork in Colombia, I will engage with affected communities, local practitioners, and researchers to contextualise these findings and explore what conditions are necessary for violence reductions to translate into durable territorial peace.

Bio

Miguel Fajardo-Steinhauser is a sixth-year PhD student in the Department of Economics at the London School of Economics. He has broad research interests in development economics, political economy, and industrial organisation.

Miguel Fajardo-Steinhauser's CV