Recruitment and Allegiance: The Microfoundations of Rebellion

In: The journal of conflict resolution: journal of the Peace Science Society (International), Band 46, Heft 1, S. 111-130

Abstract

Civil war is fought between two political organizations, the state & a rebel group. Myriad theories of civil war have examined the role of state institutions & state strength, but little attention has been devoted to theorizing about rebel organizations themselves. The organizational structure of rebel groups is examined to understand patterns of recruitment & allegiance. Drawing on principal-agent analysis of participation & incentive compatibility constraints & the analytical tradition of rent-seeking contests, a model is developed to demonstrate that three factors -- geography, ethnicity, & ideology -- play an important role in determining military success, deterring defection within the rebel group, & shaping recruitment. 3 Figures, 32 References. [Copyright 2002 Sage Publications, Inc.]