First, such groups don’t share ideology or goals, often considered crucial to overcoming transaction costs in working together. Second, the groups are already “expert” at kidnapping on their own. So why risk partnering? 6/

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 what’s known in business as a “make-or-buy” decision, armed groups decide what to develop in-house. 7/