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Preparing for War: Democratic Threat Responsiveness and Military Spending in the Long 19th Century

von Hagen-Jamar, Alexander LU (2017) In STANCE Working Papers Series 2017(9). p.1-24
Abstract
What explains variation in military spending? Conventional wisdom suggests that states arm because of either foreign threats or domestic political institutions. The literature treats these factors as distinct and separate (Nordhaus et. al. 2012, Fordham and Walker 2005, Goldsmith 2003). Less attention is given to how states with different internal constraints respond to similar circumstances. This paper examines how states with different domestic political institutions respond to foreign threat during the Long 19th Century. Democratic states, with leaders who are accountable to a broad public through institutions of competitive elections and mass suffrage, invest in their militaries proportional to the level of foreign threat their state... (More)
What explains variation in military spending? Conventional wisdom suggests that states arm because of either foreign threats or domestic political institutions. The literature treats these factors as distinct and separate (Nordhaus et. al. 2012, Fordham and Walker 2005, Goldsmith 2003). Less attention is given to how states with different internal constraints respond to similar circumstances. This paper examines how states with different domestic political institutions respond to foreign threat during the Long 19th Century. Democratic states, with leaders who are accountable to a broad public through institutions of competitive elections and mass suffrage, invest in their militaries proportional to the level of foreign threat their state faces. Autocratic states respond less to shifts in the foreign security concerns, suggesting that the purpose of military spending differs in states with and without public accountability. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
organization
publishing date
type
Working paper/Preprint
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Military spending, Responsiveness, Threat, Democracy, Long Nineteenth Century
in
STANCE Working Papers Series
volume
2017
issue
9
pages
24 pages
project
State-Making and the Origins of Global Order in the Long Nineteenth Century and Beyond
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
1a27a2a7-4332-4ef0-b4f3-30d1c1078e0e
date added to LUP
2018-01-16 14:16:28
date last changed
2021-03-22 21:34:31
@misc{1a27a2a7-4332-4ef0-b4f3-30d1c1078e0e,
  abstract     = {{What explains variation in military spending? Conventional wisdom suggests that states arm because of either foreign threats or domestic political institutions. The literature treats these factors as distinct and separate (Nordhaus et. al. 2012, Fordham and Walker 2005, Goldsmith 2003). Less attention is given to how states with different internal constraints respond to similar circumstances. This paper examines how states with different domestic political institutions respond to foreign threat during the Long 19th Century. Democratic states, with leaders who are accountable to a broad public through institutions of competitive elections and mass suffrage, invest in their militaries proportional to the level of foreign threat their state faces. Autocratic states respond less to shifts in the foreign security concerns, suggesting that the purpose of military spending differs in states with and without public accountability.}},
  author       = {{von Hagen-Jamar, Alexander}},
  keywords     = {{Military spending; Responsiveness; Threat; Democracy; Long Nineteenth Century}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Working Paper}},
  number       = {{9}},
  pages        = {{1--24}},
  series       = {{STANCE Working Papers Series}},
  title        = {{Preparing for War: Democratic Threat Responsiveness and Military Spending in the Long 19th Century}},
  url          = {{https://lup.lub.lu.se/search/files/37216588/2017_9_von_Hagen_Jamar.pdf}},
  volume       = {{2017}},
  year         = {{2017}},
}