Principles of Conflict Economics

Conflict economics contributes to an understanding of violent conflict and peace in two important ways. First, it applies economic concepts and models to help one understand diverse conflict activities such as war, terrorism, genocide, and peace. Second, it treats coercive appropriation as a fundamental economic activity, joining production and exchange as a means of wealth acquisition. In the second edition of their book Principles of Conflict Economics, Anderton and Carter provide comprehensive, up-to-date coverage of the key themes and principles of conflict economics. Along with new scholarship on well-established areas such as war, terrorism and alliances and under-researched areas including genocides, individual and family aspects of war, and conflict prevention, they apply new economic tools to the study of war and peace such as behavioral economics and economics of identity and offer deeper research and policy insights into how to reconstitute societies after large-scale violence.

“'The new edition is greatly extended in terms of scope, background, up-to-date examples, and insights. This edition is a monumental achievement that addresses a topic of utmost importance in our conflict-ridden world. The forces of globalization make the study of conflict and its resolution of ever-increasing importance. This book needs to be read widely.' Todd Sandler, Vibhooti Shukla Professor of Economics and Political Economy, University of Texas, at Dallas”

'This second edition of Principles of Conflict Economics offers a compelling overview of how economics could help unpack the drivers and dynamics of a broad array of violent conflict typologies. Economists and non-economists will find the thoughtful analysis and relevant empirical work surprisingly accessible and applicable.' Raymond Gilpin, Academic Dean, Africa Center for Strategic Studies, National Defense University and former Economics Director, US Institute for Peace
'In this book, Charles H. Anderton and John R. Carter have reconstructed the basic principles of economics, starting from a recognition that the benefits of production and exchange in markets depend on solutions to fundamental problems of conflict.' Roger B. Myerson, David L. Pearson Distinguished Service Professor of Global Conflict Studies, University of Chicago and recipient of the 2007 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences
'This pioneering contribution addresses an important topic which is much neglected by economists. It makes an original contribution to knowledge dealing with all aspects of conflict by providing a nice mix of theory and applications.' Keith Hartley, University of York
'I am pleased to see this second edition of the text, especially its additions of behavioral, identity, and social network economics to the standard tools of rational choice and game theory. Important also is the attention paid not just to 'bads' such as terrorism, war, and mass atrocities, but to the increasing knowledge regarding the economics of stable peace and security. As before, the text is impressively rich in real-world data and applications, and it is very current on a vast array of literature. With a text like this, conflict and peace economics should now enter the mainstream of undergraduate economics education.' Jurgen Brauer, Augusta University, Georgia
'This comprehensive text on the economics of war and peace is indispensable to students and policy-makers alike. It demonstrates how to parse seemingly radical issues to see them through an economic lens and conveys the importance of economic analysis in solving some of the most pressing issues humanity faces.' Shikha Silwal, Washington and Lee University, Virginia
'This book remains the most accessible and comprehensive treatment of the analysis of conflict. The authors have added new insights from behavioral, cyber, identity, and network economics, thereby capturing some of the most important recent developments in the field. It is an outstanding contribution to conflict economics.' Daniel Arce, Ashbel Smith Professor of Economics, University of Texas, Dallas

Charles H. Anderton is Professor of Economics at the College of the Holy Cross, Massachusetts and co-editor of Economic Aspects of Genocides, Other Mass Atrocities, and Their Prevention (2016). His research has appeared in journals such as Economic Inquiry, the Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization, International Studies Quarterly, the Journal of Conflict Resolution, and the Journal of Genocide Research, as well as in the Handbook of Defense Economics, Volumes I and II. John R. Carter is Professor Emeritus at the College of the Holy Cross, Massachusetts. His research on conflict has appeared in numerous journals and books including Defence and Peace Economics, Economic Inquiry, the Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization, and the Handbook of Defense Economics, Volume II.

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