Arms Races, Arms Control, and Conflict Analysis: Contributions from Peace Science and Peace Economics

Description

Demonstrating the ways in which work in a broad range of fields can be pulled together in the analysis of conflict, this book provides the reader with a general introduction to the principles of conflict analysis and lays a methodological foundation for the further development of the interdisciplinary field of peace science. The text begins with an extensive survey of arms race models, from the classic Richardson model to models exploring the effects of factors such as the domestic and international economic environment, public opinion and party politics, and weapons technology and information development. The processes of individual and group problem-solving, in both crisis and non-crisis conditions, are examined, drawing on work in economics, operations research, cognitive science, and artificial intelligence. Building on this diverse body of work, the author moves on to develop a framework for conflict management with which to approach a variety of conflict situations and applies this procedure to the United States-Soviet arms control conflict. Walter Isard is cited by Mark Blaug as one of the Great Economists Since Keynes (CUP, 1989 paper edition).

Charles H. Anderton is Professor of Economics at the College of the Holy Cross, Worcester, Massachusetts, where he has taught since 1986. He coedited the volume Economics of Arms Reduction and the Peace Process with Walter Isard in 1992. A former North American editor of the journal Defence and Peace Economics, Professor Anderton's research has appeared in journals such as Economic Inquiry, Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization, Journal of Conflict Resolution, Conflict Management and Peace Science, and Peace Economics, Peace Science, and Public Policy, as well as the Handbook of Defense Economics, Volumes I and II. John R. Carter is Professor of Economics at the College of the Holy Cross, Worcester, Massachusetts, where he has served on the faculty since 1976. A former Chair of the Department of Economics, Professor Carter received the Holy Cross Distinguished Teaching Award in 1992. His research has appeared in journals such as the Review of Economics and Statistics, Journal of Law and Economics, Journal of Economic Perspectives, Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization, Defence and Peace Economics, Journal of Peace Research, and Public Choice, as well as the Handbook of Defense Economics, Volume II.

"As an encyclopedic survey of Peace Science for the technically oriented researcher the book accomplishes its purpose. The references provide ample sources for the reader to pursue in depth topics introduced in this guided tour. As this book confirms, Peace Science and Peace Research have now become established features of our intellectual and academic landscape. We have Walter Isard to thank first and foremost for this accomplishment." Martin C. McGuire, Journal of Economic Literature