by Jorrit Kamminga (May 2013)

Started in 2008, my PhD research analyses international support for alternative development and trade policies that aim to reduce the supply of illicit drugs. The central argument of the research is that Colombia can be considered a benchmark for the development of an effective international regime on cross-border support for alternative development strategies. This regime – the key academic contribution of the research – would be called an International Economic Security Regime (RISE, using the Spanish acronym of Régimen Internacional de Seguridad Económica). It combines international regime theory (Stephen Krasner et al.) with the theoretical concepts of ‘economic security’ and ‘shared responsibility’.

For my field research on alternative development in Colombia, I visited three regions: Tumaco, Meta and the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta. Here are a few photo impressions from my trip in May 2013.