Do working men rebel?
Subtitle: insurgency and unemployment in iraq and the philippines
By: El Berman, Joseph Felter, Jacob N. Shapiro.+
Contributors: Felter, Joseph H.; Shapiro, Jacob N.; National Bureau of Economic Research.
Series: NBER working paper series -- working paper  15547; Working paper series (National Bureau of Economic Research : Online) -- working paper no.  2009.
Publisher: National Bureau of Economic Research
Published: 2009
Place of publication: Cambridge, MA
Language: eng
Format: Electronic resource
Description: "Most aid spending by governments seeking to rebuild social and political order is based on an opportunity-cost theory of distracting potential recruits. The logic is that gainfully employed young men are less likely to participate in political violence, implying a positive correlation between unemployment and violence in places with active insurgencies. We test that prediction on insurgencies in Iraq and the Philippines, using survey data on unemployment and two newly- available measures of insurgency: (1) attacks against government and allied forces; and (2) violence that kills civilians. Contrary to the opportunity-cost theory, we find a robust negative correlation between unemployment and attacks against government and allied forces and no significant relationship between unemployment and the rate of insurgent attacks that kill civilians"--National Bureau of Economic Research web site.
Notes: Title from PDF file as viewed on 12/1/2009.

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