Overview

Do Third World countries benei-- t from having large militaries, or does this impede their development? Kirk Bowman uses statistical analysis to demonstrate that militarization has had a particularly malignant impact in this region. For his quantitative comparison he draws on longitudinal data for a sample of 76 developing countries and for 18 Latin American nations.To illuminate the causal mechanisms at work, Bowman offers a detailed comparison of Costa Rica and Honduras between 1948 and 1998. The case studies not only serve to bolster his general argument about the harmful effects of militarization but also provide many new insights into the processes of democratic consolidation and economic transformation in these two Central American countries.

Full Product Details

Author:   Kirk S. Bowman (Georgia Institute of Technology)
Publisher:   Pennsylvania State University Press
Imprint:   Pennsylvania State University Press
Edition:   New edition
Dimensions:   Width: 15.20cm , Height: 2.00cm , Length: 22.90cm
Weight:   0.426kg
ISBN:  

9780271023922

ISBN 10:   0271023929
Pages:   304
Publication Date:   15 November 2002
Audience:   General/trade ,  Professional and scholarly ,  College/higher education ,  General ,  Professional & Vocational
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   Awaiting stock  
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Table of Contents

Contents Part I: Introduction 1. Militarization and Development: The Research Question and the Research Design 2. Militarization: The Causal Variable, the Literature, and the Theory Part II: Bullets vs. Ballots: Militarization and Democracy 3. Taming the Tiger: A Quantitative Analysis of Militarization and Democracy in Latin America 4. When Ballots Trump Bullets: Demilitarization and Democratic Consolidation in Costa Rica 5. When Bullets Trump Ballots: Militarization and Democratic Collapse in Honduras Part III: Guns vs. Butter: Militarization, Economic Growth, and Equity 6. Guns vs. Butter: A Quantitative Analysis of Militarization and Material Development 7. Escaping the Lost Decade: Militarization and Economic Growth in Costa Rica and Honduras PART IV: Summation 8. Conclusion

Reviews

Bowman challenges the time-worn thesis that military buildup is good for growth by showing that militarization has had negative consequences on democracy, growth, and equity in Latin America. Is Bowman insinuating that if a country wants to grow, build democracy, and restore equity, it should abolish the armed forces? This is indeed a tantalizingly provocative thesis.... Bowman has written the most lucid yet controversial and polemic book on the military-must reading for anyone interested in this topic. -E. Pang, Choice; This book comes at a particularly appropriate moment, one in which the United States is rethinking its unconditional support for democratic regimes and may be moving toward support for almost any regime that will join it in its war against the terrorists. Bowman shows that this may prove to be a Faustian bargain, one with serious long-term consequences for development in the Third World. The quantitative and qualitative evidence in this work is very persuasive and should be troubling for those who support the view that 'the enemy of my enemy is my friend.' -Mitchell A. Seligson, University of Pittsburgh

Author Information

Kirk S. Bowman is Assistant Professor at The Sam Nunn School of International Affairs, Georgia Institute of Technology.

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