Peace, Land, and Bureaucracy in Colombia: An Analysis of the Implementation of the Victims and Land Restitution Law from a Multiscale Perspective of State Bureaucracies

This article presents an analysis of the complexities implied by the implementation of the Colombian land restitution policy, as an example of the way in which the state works in its day-to-day practice. The document highlights the role played by the bureaucracy of “land” in the management of the so...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Lina Buchely
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2020-06-01
Series:Land
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/9/6/181
Description
Summary:This article presents an analysis of the complexities implied by the implementation of the Colombian land restitution policy, as an example of the way in which the state works in its day-to-day practice. The document highlights the role played by the bureaucracy of “land” in the management of the so-called post-conflict setting. It is constructive in showing the multiscale nature of the state, whose operation cannot be understood outside the various levels and scales that compose it. This conception is very well exemplified by the typology of the bureaucracies to which it resorts in order to explain the different meanings of notions, such as “conflict,” “land” or “victim,” for the public officials according to the position they fill in the institutional architecture of restitution.<i> </i>By analyzing the research findings, the author reveals that it is emotional, rather than material, benefits that condense the state's role in the Colombian post-conflict period.
ISSN:2073-445X