Desertion as theft. Issue 2 (3rd April 2020)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Piano, Ennio E.; Rouanet, Louis
• Editors: Candela, Rosolino A.; Piano, Ennio E.
• Is Part Of: Journal of institutional economics. Volume 16:Issue 2(2020)
• Page Start: 169
• Page End: 183
• Publication Date: 2020-04-03
• Subjects: Desertion, -- economic analysis of property rights, -- Yoram Barzel, -- economics of theft; Institutional economics -- Periodicals; 330.1552
• DOI: 10.1017/S1744137419000250
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1744-1374

Abstract

Abstract: To be effective, an army must contain the extent of desertion among its ranks. This phenomenon rose to particular prominence in Europe during the 18th and 19th centuries, with the appearance of the figure of the "citizen-soldier" on the battlefield. This paper offers the first theoretical treatment of the issue of desertion from an economic perspective. Building on the work of Yoram Barzel on the "economic analysis of property rights, " we develop a "desertion as theft" framework. We then test the empirical implications of the framework against qualitative and quantitative evidence from Napoleonic France.