“Todos Pagan”: Las PYME y la violencia urbana en Medellín, Colombia (SMEs and Urban Violence in Medellín, Colombia)
Authors: Ben Miller and Angelika Rettberg
This article examines the impact of the complex environment in Medellín, a city with 2.5 million inhabitants, on local small and medium-sized enterprises (PYMEs), where formal and informal economic activities coexist alongside legal and illegal actors. Despite outnumbering large enterprises, PYMEs operate on a smaller scale and exhibit more informal organizational characteristics, being less prominent in the public sphere. The need for collective responses to violence is crucial for these businesses, but organizing joint actions can be challenging. Drawing on an analysis of official documents, academic literature, field visits, and 39 interviews, we develop a three-part typology of PYME responses to violent actors: acquiescence, evasion, and mitigation. The study suggests that the majority of Medellín’s PYMEs have adapted to the complexities of legality, illegality, formality, and violence, employing strategies such as acquiescence, evasion, and mitigation in response to violent actors. It is emphasized that while cooperation with illegal actors may ensure short-term viability, it poses long-term challenges for community empowerment, institutional strengthening, and inclusive economic development. Ultimately, the article suggests that some PYME strategies are more effective than others for survival and growth in violent environments.
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