Weak Ties, Strong Soldiers: Civil Society and Battlefield Effectiveness
Year: 2009
Type: preprint
Abstract: Several studies have found democracies tend to win wars more often than non-democracies. However, these studies have had difficulty establishing a causal link between regime type and conflict outcome. Building on this potential for spuriousness, this article investigates one potential confounding factor in the study of military effectiveness. Using the HERO data set of battle characteristics and measures for civil society, this paper finds that there is support for the idea that societal structures can have large effects on the military unit. Weak ties, such as sports clubs and reading groups, serve to increase awareness of the greater community leading to solidarity and willingness to sacrifice for a cause. Strong ties of ethnic heterogeneity may allow for specialization in combat, reducing casualties, but inhibit solidarity which reduces the likelihood of overall victory. Civil society imparts numerous positive externalities, leading both to democratic structures and benefits to the fighting capabilities of individuals in that society. The implication of this study suggests that a vibrant civil society may be a driving force behind democracies’ military effectiveness and that social structure may be a greater factor in military effectiveness than regime type.
Source: SSRN Electronic Journal
Author: Trace Lasley
Institution: University of Kentucky
Language: English
Subfield: Sociology and Political Science
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W1489606534