PRFDHR Seminar: Gang Rule: Understanding and Countering Criminal Governance - Professor Chris Blattman
Gangs rule millions worldwide. Professor Chris Blattman studies how gangs govern, why, and whether the state can reclaim dominance. He first interviews dozens of gang leaders and thousands of residents in Medellin, Colombia, documenting this clandestine world. They govern to preserve local monopoly rents, but also because the state is remote. To demonstrate, Professor Blattman first harness exogenous variation in exposure to the state across internal borders. Over the long run, places more distant from police and services increase gang rule.
