A new research paper applies data distribution analysis to conflict-related violence in Colombia. Dr Annette Idler, Associate Professor in Global Security and Director of the Minerva Global Security Programme at the Blavatnik School of Government, and Dr Katerina Tkacova, Postdoctoral Researcher at the School, are among the authors of the new paper, published in Nature journal, Scientific Reports.

The paper explores conflict-related violence in Colombia with a detailed focus on specific regions and historical periods. Earthquakes, landslides, forest fires, and viral tweets all follow a similar data distribution pattern called the power-law distribution. The team at the Minerva Global Security Programme found that conflict in Colombia also follows this pattern. Changes in this distribution can tell us about the relative strength of different groups in the Colombian conflict in specific areas and periods.

The research behind this article is part of a larger interdisciplinary project aiming to shed light on what drives global security threats. The work on this article was funded by the Minerva Research Initiative.