Photo from Richard Mosse’s series of infrared portraits in eastern DRC
Grant Gordon has a fascinating new working paper which offers a reinterpretation of the connection between violence against civilians and the FARDC’s inability to pay its soldiers wages. Abstract:
In fragile states, regimes must cultivate military forces strong enough to ward off external threats, but loyal enough to resist launching a coup. This requires that leaders distinguish the loyal from the untrustworthy, a particularly challenging exercise in post-conflict settings with weak institutions. In this study, I explore how Congolese soldiers operating in North Kivu, the largest operational theater in the Democratic Republic of Congo and the epicenter of one of the most violent conflicts in Africa, solve this crucial problem. I argue that leaders use non-payment as a screening strategy that reveals commitment by driving disloyal soldiers to defect and loyal soldiers to endure hard times. This fuels unpaid…
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