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Dani Gilbert
@danigilbert.bsky.social
Assistant professor of political science at Northwestern, studying hostage taking in international security. Fellow with Bridging the Gap, contributor to Good Authority. She/her. Hiking, biking, mostly plants ๐ŸŒฑ
1.2k followers776 following146 posts
Reposted by Dani Gilbert
CTchloethurston.bsky.social

www.thenation.com/article/soci... Super excited to see this review of our book by Astra Taylor, who has been at the forefront of the revival of debtors activism in the US over the last decade.

The Radical Past and Future of Debt Resistance
The Radical Past and Future of Debt Resistance

The deep roots of debt relief activism in the United States.

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DGdanigilbert.bsky.social

Finally, this idea wouldnโ€™t have become a paper without Michael Weintraub, who first shared my enthusiasm when I shared what was emerging from my interviews. Since then, Iโ€™ve been the luckiest to receive invaluable feedback from many workshops, conferences, and friends. Thank you!

This image is a screenshot of article acknowledgments, listing the individuals and institutions that provided feedback on my work.
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DGdanigilbert.bsky.social

This article draws on 112 interviews I conducted w dozens of former kidnappers in Colombia & hostage recovery personnel from Colombia & the United States, providing an insiderโ€™s view to the organizational requirements to kidnap at scale. Paper here: shorturl.at/NHtFW

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DGdanigilbert.bsky.social

Just like firms, armed groups have differing strategies, costs, and capabilities that explain why โ€” and the conditions under which โ€” cooperation occurs. 9/

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DGdanigilbert.bsky.social

Sometimes itโ€™s cheaper to โ€œoutsource,โ€ which leads to the phenomenon I call โ€œblack market white labelingโ€ โ€” cooperation that emerges when one actor buys an illicit good or service from another and re-brands it as their own. 8/

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DGdanigilbert.bsky.social

Challenging the notion that groups must be similar or not cooperate, I argue differences in capabilities & costs of producing violence result in comparative advantage. Facing whatโ€™s known in business as a โ€œmake-or-buyโ€ decision, armed groups decide what to develop in-house. 7/

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DGdanigilbert.bsky.social

First, such groups donโ€™t share ideology or goals, often considered crucial to overcoming transaction costs in working together. Second, the groups are already โ€œexpertโ€ at kidnapping on their own. So why risk partnering? 6/

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DGdanigilbert.bsky.social

Scholars mostly agree that cooperation between illicit actors is really costly. Cooperation between criminal & rebel kidnappers is extra surprising, for two reasons: 5/

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Dani Gilbert
@danigilbert.bsky.social
Assistant professor of political science at Northwestern, studying hostage taking in international security. Fellow with Bridging the Gap, contributor to Good Authority. She/her. Hiking, biking, mostly plants ๐ŸŒฑ
1.2k followers776 following146 posts