Abstract: Why do some rebel groups invest in large, capital-intensive businesses in the formal market whilst fighting the state during civil wars? While the literature has begun to zone in on the relationship between revenue sources held by rebel groups and their decisions, the curious case of rebel groups establishing capital-intensive formal businesses, such as large business groups or hydroelectric plants, is not well examined. To explain this puzzle, I argue that capital-intensive formal businesses owned by rebel groups are a key feature of symbiotic armed orders that arise from long-running civil wars. They are not established for financial gains but as a costly signal to credibly commit to a symbiotic armed order with the state in a hostile co-existence to fulfil a tactical necessity of the rebel group.
I find support for this argument by comparing three rebel groups active in Myanmar – the KNU, the RCSS, and the KNPP. Drawing from interview data collected on the Myanmar-Thai border in between March 2022 – August 2023.
Park, Jae Hyun. 2025. "Living in Yesterday's Terror: The Impact of Civil War Violence on the Post-War Election in South Korea." Terrorism and Political Violence 37 (4): 478-493. PDF
“It’s Not About the Money”: Rebel Group Participation in the Formal Economy as Credible Commitment." (Under review). DRAFT
(APSA-SEAPRG Best Paper Award (Junior Scholar Category), Honourable Mention)
“From Opium to Avocados: Rebel Group Capital Endowments and Financing Activities in Myanmar.” (Under review) DRAFT
“What's in it for Us? Increased Rebel Group-Civilian Embeddedness as a Ceasefire Incentive.”
"The determinants of defection in civil wars: Survey experiments with rebel groups in Myanmar." (With Jacques Bertrand, Noel Anderson, Alexandre Pelletier, Semuhi Sinanoglu, Ardeth Maung Thawnghmung, and Moo Moo Paw)
"Small Talks for Big Insights: Impact of Relation Building in Qualitative Fieldwork." (With Salam Alsaadi)
"Who cares better for whom? Examining attitudes towards redistribution in Southeast Asia." (With I Younan An)