Recruitment and Allegiance

22 Pages·2003·0.16 MB·English

Recruitment and Allegiance:
The Microfoundations of Rebellion
Scott Gates
CSCW at PRIO
& NTNU
1
The Microfoundations of Rebellion
What motivates people to risk their life in armed
(cid:132)
rebellion?
Why continue to expose oneself to life in the bush
(cid:132)
where one may be killed at any minute without
home, family, or other comforts?
Or from another perspective, how does a rebel
(cid:132)
group maintain organizational cohesion and deter
defection?
How does a rebel group sustain itself?
(cid:132)
2
Supervision, Oversight, and Control in a
Rebel Army
Central concepts:
(cid:132)
Geographic Distance
(cid:132)
Ethnicity (ethnic distance)
(cid:132)
Ideology (ideological distance)
(cid:132)
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Organizational Endowments
4
Rebel Group Endowments
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Joining a Rebel Group
Participation Constraint
(cid:132)
Recruitment. To join or not to join?
(cid:132)
Forced vs. voluntary participation
(cid:132)
Child soldiers
(cid:132)
Outside options
(cid:132)
Unemployment levels, poverty level
(cid:132)
Security/Insecurity
(cid:132)
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Allegiance
Compatibility Constraint
(cid:132)
Allegiance. To stay or not to stay with
(cid:132)
group?
Cooperate/ Defect -- compliance
(cid:132)
The problem of latent opportunism.
(cid:132)
7
Incentives
Pecuniary Incentives
Wages
(cid:132)
Loot
(cid:132)
loot-seeking rebel groups vs. ideological groups
(cid:132)
8
Non-pecuniary Incentives
functional preferences
value associated with performing an
(cid:132)
assigned task
“fighting the good fight” – ideological
(cid:132)
groups
Thugs – hooliganism, rape
(cid:132)
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Non-pecuniary Incentives
Solidary preferences and norms
(cid:132)
Attachment to the group
(cid:132)
Comradery
(cid:132)
Ethnic identity and group solidarity
(cid:132)
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