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No Kin in the Game: Moral Hazard and War in the US Congress

Author

Listed:
  • Eoin F. McGuirk
  • Nathaniel Hilger
  • Nicholas Miller

Abstract

We study agency frictions in the US Congress. We examine the long-standing hypothesis that political elites engage in conflict because they fail to internalize the associated costs. We compare the voting behavior of legislators with draft age sons versus draft age daughters during the conscription-era wars of the twentieth century. We estimate that having a draft age son reduces proconscription voting by 7–11 percentage points. Support for conscription recovers when a legislator’s son ages out of eligibility. We establish that agency problems contribute to political conflict and that politicians are influenced by private incentives orthogonal to political concerns or ideological preferences.

Suggested Citation

  • Eoin F. McGuirk & Nathaniel Hilger & Nicholas Miller, 2023. "No Kin in the Game: Moral Hazard and War in the US Congress," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 131(9), pages 2370-2401.
    • Handle: RePEc:ucp:jpolec:doi:10.1086/724316
    DOI: 10.1086/724316
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    Cited by:

    1. Dominic Rohner, 2025. "Conflict," CESifo Working Paper Series 12035, CESifo.
    2. Tao, Xiangyang & Peng, Qiaoyu, 2025. "Moral hazard in data envelopment analysis benchmarking," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 327(1), pages 203-217.
    3. Corneo, Giacomo, 2024. "Economic growth and imperialism," Discussion Papers 2024/5, Free University Berlin, School of Business & Economics.
    4. Cloléry, Héloïse, 2023. "Legislators in the crossfire: Strategic non-voting and the effect of transparency," European Journal of Political Economy, Elsevier, vol. 78(C).
    5. Van Effenterre, Clémentine, 2020. "Papa does preach: Daughters and polarization of attitudes toward abortion," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 179(C), pages 188-201.
    6. Van Effenterre, Clémentine, 2017. "Papa Does Preach: Daughters and Polarisation of Attitudes toward Abortion," IZA Discussion Papers 11177, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    7. McGuirk, Eoin & Trebesch, Christoph, 2025. "Geoeconomics and conflict: A review and open questions," Kiel Working Papers 2302, Kiel Institute for the World Economy.

    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • N42 - Economic History - - Government, War, Law, International Relations, and Regulation - - - U.S.; Canada: 1913-

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