This article investigates the extent to which the dominance of the United States (U.S.) dollar as an international currency has been contingent on American diplomacy rather than the prosecution of expensive wars. Four wars are examined, the Korean War (1950-1953), the Vietnam War (1964-1975),...

This article investigates the extent to which the dominance of the United States (U.S.) dollar as an international currency has been contingent on American diplomacy rather than the prosecution of expensive wars. Four wars are examined, the Korean War (1950-1953), the Vietnam War (1964-1975),...

This article examines three types of initiatives that have been deployed in the effort to transform the political economies of civil conflict: voluntary ethical trading initiatives. formal regulation to promote ethical trading or good resource governance, and economic supervision schemes. The...

This article examines three types of initiatives that have been deployed in the effort to transform the political economies of civil conflict: voluntary ethical trading initiatives. formal regulation to promote ethical trading or good resource governance, and economic supervision schemes. The...

This article analyzes the allocation of the government budget to civilian and military expenditure by two rival countries that are involved in an arms race. We compare the consequences of myopic (period by period) planning versus rational (long-term) planning and show that although myopic...

This policy overview draws upon two studies, one theoretical and one empirical, to explore lessons from medieval Indian Ocean trade for supporting ethnic tolerance in contemporary settings. The overview begins by sketching a model of inter-ethnic trade and violence in environments where there...

An assessment of the employment of mercenaries in Afghanistan gives mixed results. U.S. armed forces appear to have been happy with the Afghan Security Forces and ad hoc militias and only replaced them because of political reasons or because they felt that they were no longer needed. By...

Defense economics is now an established part of economics. This article reviews its achievements as represented by papers published in the research journal Defense and Peace Economics. The range of topics in the journal is reviewed, especially since 2000, and major gaps in coverage are...