Guns and Butter

Guns and Butter examines the causes and consequences
of war from a political economy perspective, taking as its premise that a
consideration of the incentives and constraints faced by individuals and groups is
paramount in understanding conflict decision making. The chapter authors -- leading
economists and political scientists -- believe that this perspective offers deeper
insights into war and peace choices than the standard state-centric approach. Their
contributions offer both theoretical and empirical support for the political economy
perspective on conflict. Several broad themes cut across the chapters: war as an
equilibrium phenomenon rather than an exogenous process; the interaction of
politics, economics, and institutions and its effect on the frequency and severity
of conflicts; the cost of fighting; and the often innovative character of conflict.
Topics addressed include theoretical aspects of the ways in which domestic politics
affects the decision to go to war; globalization and its effect on the net supply of
terrorism; open markets and the likelihood of war and domestic insecurity; the costs
of going to war in Iraq as compared to the costs of containment; the economic
effects of the Rwandan genocide at a household level; and the evolving industrial
organization of terrorist groups.


ContributorsBrock Blomberg, Bruce Bueno de
Mesquita, Ethan Bueno de Mesquita, Steven J. Davis, Michelle R. Garfinkel Edward
Glaeser, Gregory D. Hess, Kai Konrad, Kevin M. Murphy, Peter Rosendorff, Stephen
Sheppard, Stergios Skaperdas, Constantinos Syropoulos, Robert H. Topel, Marijke
Verpoorten.