War, Peace, and the Size of Countries
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Date
2005
Author(s)
Spolaore, Enrico
Publisher
Elsevier
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Citation
Alesina, Alberto, and Enrico Spolaore. 2005. War, peace, and the size of countries. Journal of Public Economics 89(7): 1333-1354.
Abstract
This paper studies the relationship between international conflict and the size distribution of countries in a model in which both peaceful bargaining and nonpeaceful confrontations are possible. We show how the size distribution of countries depends on the likelihood, benefits, and costs of conflict and war. We also study the role of international law and show how better defined international ‘property rights’ may lead to country breakup and more numerous local conflicts.
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