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Deconstructing reconstruction: The overlooked challenges of military occupation

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  • Christopher Coyne

    (Hampden-Sydney College, VA, USA)

Abstract

In the post-Cold War period, the main threat to the United States and other Western nations comes from weak, failed, and conflict-torn states. The viability of military occupation and reconstruction as strategies to deal with these threats is an open issue. I explore two central, but often overlooked, issues that every occupation and reconstruction must face. First, I consider the “knowledge problem, which refers to the lack of understanding of how to establish the foundations of liberal democratic institutions where they do not already exist. I then consider the “public choice problem, which focuses on the decisionmaking process within the United States. Oftentimes, the incentives created by political institutions generate policies that run counter to the end goals of reconstruction efforts abroad. Formulating effective policies toward weak, failed, and conflict-torn states requires the recognition and understanding of these challenges and the constraints they impose.

Suggested Citation

  • Christopher Coyne, 2007. "Deconstructing reconstruction: The overlooked challenges of military occupation," Economics of Peace and Security Journal, EPS Publishing, vol. 2(2), pages 94-100, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:epc:journl:v:2:y:2007:i:2:p:94-100
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    File URL: http://www.epsjournal.org.uk/index.php/EPSJ/article/view/57
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Bernhard Klingen, 2011. "A Public Choice Perspective on Defense and Alliance Policy," Chapters, in: Christopher J. Coyne & Rachel L. Mathers (ed.), The Handbook on the Political Economy of War, chapter 17, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    2. Diana Weinert Thomas & Michael Thomas, 2010. "Encouraging a Productive Research Agenda: Peter Boettke and the Devil's Test," Journal of Private Enterprise, The Association of Private Enterprise Education, vol. 26(Fall 2010), pages 103-115.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Military occupation; public choice; reconstriuction; institutions;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D74 - Microeconomics - - Analysis of Collective Decision-Making - - - Conflict; Conflict Resolution; Alliances; Revolutions
    • H56 - Public Economics - - National Government Expenditures and Related Policies - - - National Security and War
    • O1 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development

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