Cognitive Institutionalism, Social Capital and theConstruction of Peace in Colombia

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to examine the contributions of cognitive institutionalism and particularly the work of Mantzavinos, North and Shariq (2004) to the field of peacebuilding within a framework of transitional justice. Specifically, the challenge to social capital using two specific contributions of the theoretical proposal of Mantzavinos, et al.: the definition of analytical clues to understanding the mechanisms of intervention and sustainability, and the expansion of the assumptions for innovative measurement of changes in social capital. The article uses the analytical framework of Casas and Mendez (2015) and evidence related with victims in Colombia (Mendez, 2014) in order to conclude that the ability to understand, measure and design strategies for territorial peace involves a notion of social change based on cognitive foundations of social reconstruction.