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Mutual fear and civil war

Chassang, Sylvain and Padró i Miquel, Gerard (2008) Mutual fear and civil war. . Bureau for Research and Economic Analysis of Development, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA., USA.

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Abstract

We propose a theory of con ict in which actors balance the opportunity costs of ghting with the fear of being attacked. By mobilizing, an agent foregoes returns to her peacetime economic activity, but she can seize resources and protect herself from an attack. Opportunity costs change with the economic situation, which determines the risk of attack in equilibrium. This theory makes two contributions. First, it predicts that con ict occurs after bad economic shocks. This is supported by the empirical literature on civil war and it is dicult to accommodate using existing models. Second, the theory generates con ict out of mutual fears. This is closely related to the literature on the security dilemma. The model allows for a systematic exploration of the theory in Jervis (1978) in a rational choice framework and it shows that aggressive and security seeking agents can be jointly understood as depending on transient economic circumstances.

Item Type: Monograph (Working Paper)
Official URL: http://www.cid.harvard.edu/bread
Additional Information: © 2008 Sylvain Chassang and Gerard Padró i Miquel
Divisions: Economics
STICERD
Subjects: H Social Sciences > HC Economic History and Conditions
JEL classification: D - Microeconomics > D7 - Analysis of Collective Decision-Making > D74 - Conflict; Conflict Resolution; Alliances
D - Microeconomics > D8 - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty > D82 - Asymmetric and Private Information
Date Deposited: 12 May 2008 16:03
Last Modified: 15 Sep 2023 23:14
URI: http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/id/eprint/4825

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