The Drug-Laden Balloon: U.S. Military Assistance and Coca Production in the Central Andes

Objective. This article explores the empirical effects of U.S. drug policy on coca cultivation in the Central Ancles. We assess the impact of U.S. military assistance on the production of coca in the Central Andes, while controlling for other explanatory variables that influence coca cultivation. Me...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Social science quarterly 2006-09, Vol.87 (3), p.540-557
Main Authors: Rouse, Stella M., Arce, Moises
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Agricultural production
Alcohol
Andean region
Andes
Armed forces
Balloons
Black markets
Bolivia
Bootlegging
Cocaine
Colombia
Commercial production
Consumption
Criminal sociology. Police. Delinquency. Deviance. Suicide
Crop economics
Crop production
Crops
Drug control
Drug policy
Drug trafficking
Drugs
Effects
Foreign policy
Gangs
Government
Illicit drugs
Law enforcement
Military aid
Military intervention
Organized crime
Peru
Pharmaceutical industry
Politics and Policy
Prevention
Sociology
Sociology of law and criminology
Time series
U.S.A
USA
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Summary:Objective. This article explores the empirical effects of U.S. drug policy on coca cultivation in the Central Ancles. We assess the impact of U.S. military assistance on the production of coca in the Central Andes, while controlling for other explanatory variables that influence coca cultivation. Method. Using data from 1980-2001 for Colombia, Bolivia, and Peru, we perform a pooled cross-sectional time-series analysis. Results. The effects of U.S. military assistance on coca cultivation are not uniform across the Central Andes. Coca production decreased in Bolivia and Peru and increased in Colombia. Total coca production in the Central Andes, however, remained unchanged. Conclusion. This study is consistent with existing literature that points out the obstacles governments face as they attempt to suppress illicit goods. Specifically, our empirical findings support the idea of the "balloon effect," whereby government efforts to "squeeze" illicit trade in one area result in the expansion of that trade elsewhere.
ISSN:0038-4941
1540-6237
DOI:10.1111/j.1540-6237.2006.00395.x