My research agenda lies at the intersectionof three knowledge areas: i) environmental and natural resources economics; ii) experimental and behavioral economics, and iii) rural development. By combining these knowledge areas, I have moved forward along three lines of work that give structure to my research efforts:
With the approach known as lab-in the field-experiments I have been studying, since my doctoral thesis, the management of natural resources (fishing, gold mining, forests, water irrigation systems, among others) in rural communities in Colombia, Brazil, Mexico, and Honduras. This research agenda advances the theoretical and empirical understanding of how natural resource users make decisions, what are the determinants of cooperation, and the effects of different external interventions on the conservation and management of natural resources.
Velez, M.A., Rueda, X., Henao, J.P, Monroy, D., Tobin, D., Maldonado, J. & Pfaf, A. (2025). Small-scale gold miners’ preferences on formalization: First steps toward sustainable supply chains in Colombia. World Development 188, 106899. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.worlddev.2024.106899
Blanco, E., Moros, L., Pfaff, A., Steimanis, I., Velez, M.A. & Vollan, B. (2023). No crowding out among those terminated from an ongoing PES program in Colombia. Journal of Environmental Economics and Management. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jeem.2023.102826.
Moros, L., Vélez, MA, Pfaff, A., Quintero, D., Tobbin, D. (2023). "Temporary PES do not crowd-out and may crowd-in lab-in-the-field forest conservation in Colombia". Ecological Economics, February, 204, Part A, 107652. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolecon.2022.107652
Velez M, Moros L. (2021) Have behavioral sciences delivered on their promise to influence environmental policy and conservation practice?. Current Opinion in Behavioral Sciences (ISSN 2352-1546) 42 (N/A), pp. 132-138 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cobeha.2021.06.008 .
Leibbrandt, A.; Puerto, S; Vélez, M.A. (2021). Regrouping to Reduce Overfishing: Evidence from a Series of Lab-in-the-Field Experiments in Mexico. Marine Resource Economics, volume 36, number 4, October 2021. https://doi.org/10.1086/715442
Rodriguez, Luz A.; Pfaff, Alexander; and Vélez, Maria Alejandra. (2019). “Graduated Stringency Within Collective Incentives for Group Environmental Compliance: Building Coordination in Field-Lab Experiments with Artisanal Gold Miners in Colombia.” Journal of environmental economics and management 9: 102276–. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jeem.2019.102276
Moros, Lina; Vélez, María Alejandra; and Corbera, Esteve. (2019). “Payments for Ecosystem Services and Motivational Crowding in Colombia’s Amazon Piedmont.” Ecological economics 156: 468–488. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolecon.2017.11.032
Rueda, X., Vélez, M.A., Moros, L., & Rodríguez, L.A. (2019). "Beyond proximate and distal causes of land-use change: Linking Individual motivations to deforestation in rural contexts". Ecology and Society, 24 (1):4. https://doi:10.5751/es-10617-240104
Pfaff, Alexander; Vélez, María Alejandra; Broad, Kenneth; Hamoudi, Amar; & Taddei, Renzo. (2017). "Contracts versus trust for transfers of ecosystem services: Equity and efficiency in resource allocation and environmental provision". Water Resources and Economics. https://doi:10.1016/j.wre.2018.04.001
Vélez, María Alejandra; Trujillo, Carlos Andrés; Moros, Lina; and Forero, Clemente. (2016). “Prosocial Behavior and Subjective Insecurity in Violent Contexts: Field Experiments.” PloS one 11.7: e0158878–e0158878. https://doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0158878
Pfaff, Alexander; Vélez, María Alejandra; Ramos, Pablo; and Molina, Adriana. (2015). “Framed Field Experiment on Resource Scarcity & Extraction: Path-Dependent Generosity Within Sequential Water Appropriation.” Ecological economics 120: 416–429. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolecon.2015.06.002
Vélez, M.A., & López, M.C. (2013). "Rules compliance and age: experimental evidence with fishers from the Amazon river". Ecology and Society, 18(3):10. https://doi:10.5751/ES-05721-180310
Pfaff, Alexander; Vélez, María Alejandra; Broad, Kenneth; & Taddei, Renzo. (2013). Unequal Information, Unequal Allocation: Bargaining field experiments in NE Brazil. Environmental Science and Policy, 26, 90-101. https://doi:10.1016/j.envsci.2012.07.002
Vélez, Maria Alejandra; Stranlund, John K. and James J. Murphy. (2012) “Preferences for Government Enforcement of a Common Pool Harvest Quota: Theory and Experimental Evidence from Fishing Communities in Colombia.” Ecological economics 77: 185–192. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolecon.2012.02.030
Pfaff, Alexander & Vélez, María Alejandra. (2012). Efficiency and Equity in Negotiated Resource Transfers: Contributions and Limitations of Trust with Limited Contracts. Ecological Economics. 74, 55-63. https://doi:10.1016/j.ecolecon.2011.10.009
Velez, Maria Alejandra; Murphy, James J.; and Stranlund, John K. (2010). “Centralized and decentralized management of local common pool resources in the developing world: experimental evidence from fishing communities in Colombia.”. Economic Inquiry 48.2: 254–265. https://doi:10.1111/j.1465-7295.2008.00125.x
Vélez, M.A., Ramos, P., & Alayón, L. (2011). Instituciones Anidadas para prevenir y resolver conflictos socio-ambientales: manejo y distribución del agua en Campo Alegre (Huila, Colombia). Cuadernos de Desarrollo Rural, 8(67), 71-90. Recovered from http://www.scielo.org.co/pdf/cudr/v8n67/v8n67a04.pdf
Peterson, N., Broad, K., Orlove, B., Roncoli, C., Taddei, R., & Vélez, M.A. (2010). Participatory processes and climate forecast use: Socio-cultural context, discussion, and consensus. Climate and Development, 2(1), 14-29. https://doi:10.3763/cdev.2010.0033
Velez, Maria Alejandra; Stranlund, John K.; and Murphy, James J. (2009). “What Motivates Common Pool Resource Users? Experimental Evidence from the Field.” Journal of economic behavior & organization 70.3: 485–497. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jebo.2008.02.008
Vélez, M.A. (2007). Dissertation Abstract: Three Essays on the Determinants of Behavior in the Commons: Experimental Evidence from Fishing Communities in Colombia. Experimental Economics, 10(2), 183-184. https://doi:10.1007/s10683-006-9142-0
From an empirical and institutional perspective, I have been studying with different methodologies (surveys, interviews, satellite image analysis, experiments, empirical evaluations) and epistemological approaches the impact of Law 70 of 1993, which granted collective titling to the black communities of the Colombian Pacific.
Lobo, I; Vélez, M.A. (2022). From strong leadership to active community engagement: Effective resistance to illegal coca crops in Afro-Colombian collective territories. International Journal of Drug Policy, April, 102, 103579. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugpo.2022.103579.
Rodriguez L, Velez M, Pfaff A. (2021) Leaders’ distributional & efficiency effects in collective responses to policy: Lab-in-field experiments with small-scale gold miners in Colombia. World Development (ISSN 0305-750X) 147 (N/A), pp. 1-15. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.worlddev.2021.105648
Lobo, I. D., Vélez, M. A., & Arroyo, A. (2020). Origen de la resistencia comunitaria a los cultivos de uso ilícito: evidencia de un consejo comunitario de comunidades negras al sur de Buenaventura. Estudios Socio-jurídicos, 22(2), 319-359. https://doi.org/10.12804/revistas.urosario.edu.co/sociojuridicos/a.9148
Vélez, M.A; Robalino, J; Cardenas, J.C; Paz, A; Pacay, Eduardo (2020) "Is collective titling enough to protect forests? Evidence from Afro-descendant communities in the Colombian Pacific region" World Development, 128. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.worlddev.2019.104837.
Peña, X; Vélez, M.A; Cárdenas, J.C; Perdomo, N; Matajira, C. (2017) "Collective Property Leads to Household Investments: Lessons From Land Titling in Afro-Colombian Communities" World Development, 97. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.worlddev.2017.03.025.
Lobo, I.D., Vélez, M.A., & Puerto, S. (2016). Leadership, entrepreneurship and collective action: A case study from the Colombian Pacific Region. International Journal of the Commons, 10(2). http://doi.org/10.18352/ijc.640
Velez, M.A. (2011) "Collective Titling and the Process of Institution Building: The New Common Property Regime in the Colombian Pacific". Hum Ecol 39, 117–129. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10745-011-9375-1
Vélez, M.A. (2011). Collective Titling and the Process of Institution Building: The New Common Property Regime in the Colombian Pacific. Human Ecology. 39(2), 117-129. https://doi:10.1007/s10745-011-9375-1
Vélez, M.A. (2009). Sistemas complejos de gobierno local. Reflexiones sobre la titulación colectiva en el Pacífico vallecaucano. Revista de Estudios Sociales, (32), 74-85. https://doi:10.7440/res32.2009.05
This is my most recent area of research and I have focused on the effects of illicit economies and their policies on natural resources, security problems in the Colombian Pacific and the role of community organizations and leaders in drug and security policy.
Marín-Llanes, L., Ramos-Torres, B. I., Vélez, M. A., Restrepo, D., & Zuleta, P. (2025). Transitioning to Legality: How to Regulate the Adult Use Cannabis Market in Colombia. Journal of Illicit Economies and Development, 7(2), 14–24. https://doi.org/10.31389/jied.259
Dávalos, E., Hernández, E., Marín-Llanes, L., Rubiano-Lizarazo, M. y Vélez, M.A. (2024). Características socioeconómicas de los cultivadores de coca en Colombia: recomendaciones para una política de transformación territorial con enfoque étnico y ambiental. Documentos de antecedentes del Informe Nacional de Desarrollo Humano, PNUD. Online access.
Jones KW, Cabra-Ruiz N, Correa Sánchez N, Molina González, E and Vélez. M.A. (2024) Land tenure security and forest cover in the Colombian Amazon. Front. For. Glob. Change 7:1487898. doi.org/10.3389/ffgc.2024.1487898
Vélez, M.A. (2023). Are Coca Crops Causing Deforestation in Colombia? Would a Future Regulated Market Impact the Environment? (2023). En Towards Drug Policy Justice. Damon Barrett, Rick Lines.Online access.
Marín, L., Velazquez, M., & Vélez, M. A. (2023). Restituir la tierra para construir la paz: impacto de la política de restitución en la violencia. En ¿Como va la paz en Colombia?. Angelika Rettberg, Laura Betancur. Online access.
Lobo, I; Vélez, M.A. (2022). From strong leadership to active community engagement: Effective resistance to illegal coca crops in Afro-Colombian collective territories. International Journal of Drug Policy, April, 102, 103579. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugpo.2022.103579.
Brombacher, D, Garzón, JC Velez M.A. 2021. Introduction Special Issue: Environmental Impacts of Illicit Economies. Journal of Illicit Economies and Development, 3(1), pp. 1–9. DOI: https://doi.org/10.31389/jied.107JIED
Marin Llanes, Lucas; Veláquez, Mauricio and Vélez, María Alejandra, Land Restitution and Selective Violence: Evidence from Colombia (May 27, 2022). Documento CEDE No. 16, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=4124494 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4124494.
Londoño, Alejandro; Marín, Lucas; Vélez, María Alejandra (2024) "Resumen de la Evaluación Institucional, de Resultados y de Impacto del PNIS: Recomendaciones para un Nuevo Programa de Transformación Territorial en Zonas Cocaleras" Vol. 17 https://cesed.uniandes.edu.co/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/EvaluacionPNIS_VF.pdf
Marín, Lucas; Vélez, María Alejandra; Pinzón, Carolina; Zuleta, Pablo. (2023) Comentario de política “Sembrando Vida, Desterramos el Narcotráfico – Política Nacional de Drogas (2023-2033)” Vol. 16. https://cesed.uniandes.edu.co/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/comentario.pol_.drogas_diagramado_final.pdf
Marín, Lucas; Ramos, BeatrIz Irene; Vélez, María Alejandra; Zuleta, Pablo; Restrepo, David. (2023) Regulación del cannabis de uso adulto en Colombia: recomendaciones de política. Comentario de Política. Vol. 12.https://cesed.uniandes.edu.co/regulacion-del-cannabis-de-uso-adulto-en-colombia-recomendaciones-de-politica/
Ramos, Beatríz Irene; Vélez, María Alejandra; Benavides, Jean Paul; Jauregui, Gilda; Restrepo, David. (2023) Control social de la producción de coca: lecciones del Trópico de Cochabamba (Bolivia) para Colombia. Vol. 34. https://repositorio.uniandes.edu.co/entities/publication/6cc52767-80ac-4b2d-a554-584d4683c331
Rubiano-Lizarazo, María Juliana; Vélez, María Alejandra; y Trujillo, Diana. (2022) Investigación Convencional, Colaborativa y Participativa: Propuesta para el desarrollo de investigaciones con comunidades. Documento Temático. Vol. 32. https://repositorio.uniandes.edu.co/entities/publication/656c1d21-b265-4752-b9cc-077220fec47b
Vélez, M.A; Marín, L; Ramírez, Y; Álvarez, C; Velásquez; y Barrera, O. (2022) Enfoque de seguridad para la política de sustitución de cultivos de uso ilícito. Comentario de Política CESED. Vol. 09. https://repositorio.uniandes.edu.co/entities/publication/a9fef720-4e2c-4417-9311-33f38bdfcf93
Rubiano-Lizarazo, M.J.; Marín, L; Dávalos, E; Hernández, E; & Vélez, M.A. (2022) Caracterización de los hogares vinculados al Programa Nacional Integral de Sustitución de Cultivos Ilícitos en Zonas de Manejo Especial. Documento Temático CESED. Vol. 30. https://repositorio.uniandes.edu.co/entities/publication/07f16139-28b2-4e79-8a0a-9280dca331ff
Gutierrez, M.P; Mendoza, L; Vélez, M.A; Weintraub, M; & Norza, E. (2022) Caracterizando el delito urbano en Tumaco. Documento Temático CESED. Vol. 28. https://repositorio.uniandes.edu.co/entities/publication/62f25163-fcb3-4f8d-bb72-e3204b74ba17
Monroy, D; Vélez, M.A.; & Rueda, X. (2022) Oro certificado para minería artesanal: Oportunidades y Barreras. Documento Temático CESED. Vol. 26. https://repositorio.uniandes.edu.co/entities/publication/1ee6a9eb-fb9f-49f6-8459-53a411a68d3f
Rubiano-Lizarazo, M.J.; Vélez, M.J.; y Arenas, P. (2022) ¿Cómo va la implementación del PNIS en las Zonas de Manejo Especial? Un análisis desde las voces campesinas de los Departamentos de Guaviare y Putumayo. Comentario de Política CESED. Vol. 08. https://repositorio.uniandes.edu.co/entities/publication/981d4eed-3923-4e18-bef7-17976120c7f0
Marín, L; Restrepo, D; Vélez, M.A.; y Zuleta, H. (2022) 10 puntos para una nueva política de drogas. Comentario de Política CESED. Vol. 07 https://repositorio.uniandes.edu.co/entities/publication/53af9af9-dd28-4939-8019-b3ce83ec9f73
Vélez, M.A. y Marín, L. (2022) Fuerza Pública, construcción de paz y cultivos ilícitos. Comentarios de Política CESED. Vol. 6 https://repositorio.uniandes.edu.co/entities/publication/f5faeebc-a398-4359-b165-4f93e85633a8
Caicedo, A; Rubiano-Lizarazo, M.J.; & Vélez, M.A.. (2022) Las Guardias Indígena, Cimarrona y Campesina en el Norte del Cauca: resistencia comunitaria no violenta para el control territorial. Documento Temático CESED. Vol. 24. https://repositorio.uniandes.edu.co/entities/publication/3109ad77-d0db-42e7-b006-08f75cb757dc
Mendoza, L; Weintraub, M; Vélez, M.A. y Norza, E. (2021) La Distribución Espacial del Delito Urbano en Quibdó, 2014 – 2019. Documento Temático CESED. Vol. 23.https://repositorio.uniandes.edu.co/entities/publication/05a10b14-dda6-4bb5-a4f1-1fdb98991c7c
Mendoza, L; Weintraub, M; Vélez, M.A. y Norza, E. (2021) La Distribución Espacial del Delito Urbano en Buenaventura, 2014 – 2019. Documento Temático CESED. Vol. 21.https://repositorio.uniandes.edu.co/entities/publication/fd6c06e2-7fa5-4a5d-bdd6-bbdfdeb3ee40
Marín, L; Rubiano, M.J.; y Vélez, M.A. (2021) 6 ideas para los candidatos presidenciales para una política integral para la sustitución de cultivos de uso ilícito. Comentarios de Política CESED. Vol. 05 https://repositorio.uniandes.edu.co/entities/publication/227e22bb-aa2f-4b8f-b7f2-f24fc7d435bf
Marín, L; Velásquez, M; y Vélez, M.A. (2021) Restituir la tierra para construir la paz. Comentarios de Política CESED. Vol. 03 https://repositorio.uniandes.edu.co/entities/publication/35f0a46c-125e-48ce-b655-597b0fb4dd81
Vélez, M.A. & Marín, L. (2021) Violencia contra líderes sociales y ambientales: ¿qué sabemos y qué podemos hacer? Documento Temático CESED. Vol. 15. https://cesed.uniandes.edu.co/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Lideres-BINDER_JM-LML.pdf
Erasso, C & Vélez, M.A. (2020) ¿Los cultivos de coca causan deforestación en Colombia? Documento Temático CESED. Vol. 5 https://repositorio.uniandes.edu.co/entities/publication/ce2e30f5-b621-4852-96a7-d8344e4a6114
Rubiano-Lizarazo, M.J; Vélez, M.A; Restrepo, D; y Ramos, B. (2020) ¿Reanudar la fumigación aérea con glifosato de cultivos ilícitos en Colombia? Un resumen de la literatura científica. Comentario de Política CESED. Vol. 02 https://repositorio.uniandes.edu.co/entities/publication/d572a752-a4ae-4ec4-ba8a-da49dc2d60d1
Rubiano, M.J; Vélez, M.A; & Rueda, X. (2020) Minería de oro artesanal y de pequeña escala: Estrategias para su formalización y diferenciación de la minería ilegal. Documento Temático CESED. Vol. 11. https://repositorio.uniandes.edu.co/entities/publication/bb35ec82-014d-4227-9292-026060495221