This paper puts forward an action-reaction model of the interaction between civil conflict and state coercion in nations undergoing dependent development. Using graphical techniques and dynamic analysis of difference equations, the conflict-coercion relationship is explored analytically and its...

Various psychoactive substances including illicit drugs, psychiatric medications, and adult beverages (alcohol and coffee) are commonly consumed by individuals who formulate and carry out foreign policy decisions. The effects of these agents warrant both further study and greater appreciation to...

Research in quantitative international politics and peace science is dominated by two puzzles and their corresponding research designs. (1) Why do some nations fight wars more often than others? (2) Which system characteristics contribute to war? What is often neglected is a third puzzle: Why do...

Rent seeking is an attempt to distort prices in order to achieve a contrived transfer. Where rent seeking is on the rampage, there is a serious distortion of incentives. Investing resources in distributional struggles and political conflict looks rewarding, whereas increasing or improving output...

It has been proposed that preponderance of power is favorable to the prevention of war, whereas relative equality of power is conducive to war. Here, the “preponderance promotes peace†proposition is applied to dyads. The author modifies this proposition by claiming that only...

In this article we attempt to replicate the hypothesis tested by Rummel and others that external and internal conflict are unrelated. We do this using data for 125 nations for the years 1966-1967. As did Rummel, we use exploratory factor analysis and regression analysis; in addition, we also...

Propositions about determinants of political violence at the cross-national level are derived from rational action theory and tested across the entire population of independent states in the mid-1970s. The data support two rational action hypotheses: Rates of domestic political violence are...