State Capacities: An Analysis for State and Peace Building in Florida and Pradera (Valle)

Colombia, following the Peace Agreement signed between the National Government and the farc-ep, faces new challenges such as the construction of peace and the construction of the State. It is, therefore, necessary to inquire about the types of State capacities that the institutionality must develop to guarantee greater effectiveness and efficiency in its actions, as well as the possibility of generating trust and credibility in the territories that have supported the armed conflict. This article’s main objective is to analyze the internal and external state capacities in a relational perspective in two municipalities of Valle del Cauca: Florida and Pradera, to understand the opportunities and difficulties of state building, development, and peace. The methodology used was a qualitative constructivist approach because it inquires about the visions, perspectives, and considerations that public officials have about their roles as bureaucrats and their relations with their territories. The article also intends to analyze, from a critical posture, the particular dynamics that Florida and Pradera’s public officials have regarding that reality is socially constructed by the actors that interact among them and within it. Focus groups were prioritized as research techniques. The paper concludes reflecting on the difficulties of generating skills for the public administration to be efficient, coordinated, and adequately related to the different actors in the territory and difficulties from the implementation of policies in the territories.