Inside rebellion: The political economy of rebel organization

Civil war is now the most common form of violent conflict: all but seven of the 110 conflicts recorded between 1989 and 2000 were civil wars. While significant attention has focused on the macro-level factors that explain where these conflicts break out, how long they last, and why they come to an end, comparatively little research has been done at the micro-level on a central question with significant implications for policy: how do rebel groups organize violence?; Why do rebel groups employ high levels of indiscriminate violence against civilians in some conflicts, while they demonstrate restraint in others? What factors shape and constrain the behavior of rebel leaders and their combatants? Why do some groups use methods of social mobilization while others rely on means of social control?; This study approaches these questions through an examination of the internal organizational structure of rebel groups. It characterizes five organizational challenges that groups face: how to recruit combatants, control their behavior, govern the civilian population, punish defectors, and maintain the organization over time. Then, drawing on evidence gathered in Africa and Latin America in interviews with combatants and civilians, it explores how organizations respond to each of these challenges and identifies the factors that shape their divergence in strategy.; The central argument is that two distinct types of rebel groups emerge to wage civil war---opportunistic and activist insurgencies---and their formation hinges on the type of opportunity that rebellion provides to potential participants. Where rebellion provides short-term rewards and risks are relatively low, opportunistic joiners flood rebel groups, causing severe principal agent problems that give rise to strategies of authoritarian governance and high levels of violence. By contrast, where rebellion is costly and the risk of death is significant, only the most committed activists are attracted to rebellion, making social mobilization the central organizational strategy. In these contexts, the costs of organization are overcome where groups emphasize identities or ideologies to elicit and sustain individual participation.