The economics of early warfare over land
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 11890331 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Gregory K Dow (0000-0002-5441-1353, Simon Fraser University, corresponding author), Leanna Mitchell (Simon Fraser University), Clyde G Reed (Simon Fraser University) |
| Year | 2017 |
| Volume | 127 |
| Pages | 297-305 |
| Publication date | 2017-04-16 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Journal of Development Economics (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0304-3878 • E-ISSN: 1872-6089 |
| Publisher | Elsevier BV (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1016/j.jdeveco.2017.04.002 |
| OpenAlex | W2606755082 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 7 |
| References cited | 30 |
We investigate the incidence of early warfare among foragers and farmers in prehistory. Our focus is specifically on conflict over land. Food is produced using inputs of labor and land, and the probability of victory in a conflict depends on relative group sizes. The group sizes are determined by individual migration and Malthusian population dynamics. Both factors result in larger populations at better sites, which deters attack. There are two necessary conditions for warfare: high enough individual mobility costs and large enough shocks to the relative productivities of the sites. Together, these conditions are sufficient. In particular, technological or environmental shocks that alter the productivities of sites can trigger warfare, but only if individual agents do not change sites in response. These results are consistent with evidence from archaeology and anthropology
Economic geography · Economics · Geography · Natural resource economics · Political science · Population · Population growth · Sociology · Victory · Culture, Economy, and Development Studies · Demography · Evolutionary Game Theory and Cooperation · Historical Economic and Social Studies · Law
Marginalization in Life and Death
The Church, intensive kinship, and global psychological variation
Kinship intensity and the use of mental states in moral judgment across societies
Warfare in an evolutionary perspective
Fertile Ground for Conflict
Trade and the rise of ancient Greek city-states
The supply side determinants of territory
The Lifeways of Hunter-Gatherers
Lethal Aggression in Mobile Forager Bands and Implications for the Origins of War
Climatic Change, Wars and Dynastic Cycles in China Over the Last Millennium
Dynamics and Stagnation in the Malthusian Epoch
Caníbales y reyes
Warless Societies and the Origin of War
Climate and Conflict
Climate Shocks and Sino-nomadic Conflict
Economic Shocks and Civil War
An Equilibrium Conflict Model of Land Tenure in Hunter‐Gatherer Societies
The Origins of Inequality
Stability and the Distribution of Power
Violence and the Rise of Open-Access Orders
Resource Unpredictability, Mistrust, and War
Rationalist explanations for war
War as a Commitment Problem
Standard Cross-Cultural Sample
The Evolution of Human Societies
Climate Change and War Frequency in Eastern China over the Last Millennium
| Unique citing works | 7 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 1 |
| Citation span | 2019 - 2026 (8) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 7 |