Democracy and Military Effectiveness
A Deeper Look
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 6284269 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Stephen Biddle (0009-0000-8137-3201, Strategic Studies Institute, U.S. Army War College), Stephen B Long (0000-0002-6193-7724), Stephen Long (0000-0001-8454-9364, Department of Political Science, University of North Carolina) |
| Year | 2004 |
| Volume | 48 |
| Issue | 4 |
| Pages | 525-546 |
| Publication date | 2004-08-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Journal of Conflict Resolution (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0022-0027 • E-ISSN: 1552-8766 |
| Publisher | SAGE Publications Inc (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1177/0022002704266118 |
| OpenAlex | W2070226495 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 59 |
| References cited | 72 |
Why are democracies unusually successful in war? We find that superior human capital, harmonious civil-military relations, and Western cultural background are largely responsible. These traits correlate positively with democracy, and account for democracy’s apparent effectiveness bonus. This is either good news or bad news for democratic effectiveness theorists. Many believe that democracy causes these traits. If so, our findings strengthen democratic effectiveness theory by explicating its causal mechanism. But others see democracy as a consequence rather than a cause of such traits. If so, our findings challenge the thesis by identifying alternative causes of the effectiveness bonus previously attributed to democracy. Either way, the results show a powerful effect for unit level variables in military performance. In the process, these same results sharpen our understanding of military effectiveness in general, and the relationship between military performance and regime type in particular
Democracy · Economics · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Positive economics · Sociology · Defense, Military, and Policy Studies · International Relations and Foreign Policy · Law · Political Conflict and Governance
Democracy, Peace, and War
Democratic Control and Military Effectiveness of the Turkish Armed Forces
Two-level game operational code
The Spy Machine and the Ballot Box
Capital gains
The contagion of democracy through international networks
Initiative and Military Effectiveness
Uncertain Victory
American Bias in Global Security Studies Data
Far from Home
Rage and the Machines? Force Mechanization and Violence against Civilians
Do Democracies Engage Less in Coup-Proofing? On the Relationship between Regime Type and Civil-Military Relations 1
Leadership and Military Effectiveness
An outlook into the Turkish civil‐military relations after the 2016 coup
Effective in battle
Planning national potential
Effing” the military
U.S. Imet Participation and the Outcome and Duration of Insurgencies
Interpretation of military power in the context of realism paradigm
How Mosul fell
Buying Peace? Civil War Peace Duration and Private Military & Security Companies
Smaller Ally Matters
Examining the Authoritarian Model of Counter-insurgency
Deterring threats and settling scores
Democratic victory and war duration
Coup-Proofing and Military Effectiveness in Interstate Wars, 1967–99
Female combatants and rebel group behaviour
The impact of child soldiers on rebel groups’ fighting capacities
An Experimental Test of Selectorate Theory
Assessing the impact of non-military aid on tactical military effectiveness
Recouping after Coup-Proofing
Measuring Military Effectiveness
Corrupting the Battlefield
How Smart and Tough are Democracies? Reassessing Theories of Democratic Victory in War
A mercenary army of the poor? Technological change and the demographic composition of the post-9/11 U.S. military
Economic Development and Military Effectiveness
Exploring Palestinian Weapon Proliferation during the Oslo Peace Process
Paper Tigers
Traversing the Romance of a Liberal International Order
Coup-Proofing, Military Defection, and the Arab Spring
The Social Construction of Transgender Individuals and U.S. Military Policy
Domestic Signaling of Commitment Credibility
Measuring combat effectiveness
How a Failed Coup D’Etat Can Shape the Trajectory of a State
Bear Any Burden? How Democracies Minimize the Costs of War
Determinants of the Attempting and Outcome of Coups d’état
Jumping on the Bandwagon
Civil-military Pathologies and Defeat in War
Modeling “Effectiveness” in International Relations
Warlike Democracies
Settling It on the Field
Social Revolution, the State, and War
Allegiance, Ability, and Achievement in the American Civil War
Exiting the Coalition
Wallets, Ballots, or Bullets
Until the Bitter End? The Diffusion of Surrender Across Battles
Learning from the Battlefield
Do Democracies Make Inferior Counterinsurgents? Reassessing Democracy's Impact on War Outcomes and Duration
Military westernization and state repression in the post-Cold War era
Soldiers and Civilians
Supreme Command
Offense and defense in the international system
In the Shadow of Power
War and Punishment
Military Power
Emergent Actors in World Politics
Armed Servants
Política entre las naciones
China and Strategic Culture
Standing Your Ground
Consent, Dissent, and Patriotism
War and Change in World Politics
Conventional Deterrence
Democracies at War
The Origins of War in Neorealist Theory
Win, Lose, or Draw
The Origins of Alliances
Societies and Military Power
Political-Military Relations and the Stability of Arab Regimes
Military Organization and Society
Imagining War
Brinkmanship and Nuclear Deterrence
Political structure and foreign policy learning
Assessing the Conventional Balance
Democracy and Victory
Military Effectiveness
Realists as Optimists
Culture Clash
The 3
Distant Battles
Hypotheses on Nationalism and War
Victory Misunderstood
Thinking about Strategic Culture
Offense, Defense, and the Causes of War
Technology, civil‐military relations, and warfare in the developing world
The European conventional balance
Thinking about National Security
Myths of Empire
The soldier and the state
The Tragedy of Great Power Politics
Theory of international politics
Cooperation under the Security Dilemma
Rebuilding the Foundations of Offense-Defense Theory
Her Majesty's Stationery Office
Democracy and Battlefield Military Effectiveness
The Democratic Advantage
Chain gangs and passed bucks
The Invisible Hand of Democracy
Conflict, Agency, and Gambling for Resurrection
The Effect of Cultural Values on Economic Development
Democracy, Political Stability and Economic Growth
Offense-Defense Theory and Its Critics
The past as prologue
Analyzing Incomplete Political Science Data
War and the Survival of Political Leaders
Political Democracy and the Timing of Development
Political Democracy and the Size Distribution of Income
Egypt's Uncertain Revolution under Nasser and Sadat
Polarity, the Offense-Defense Balance, and War
Grand Strategies in War and Peace
The Duration of Interstate Wars, 1816-1985
Powerful Pacifists
| Unique citing works | 59 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 3,11 |
| Citation span | 2007 - 2026 (20) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 59 |