Orthodox economics has long treated defense from threats foreign and domestic as a public good requiring provision by a central nation-state. Yet both theory and history show how polycentric defense systems, with dispersed groups of people searching for context-specific solutions, have provided collective security.
Christopher J. Coyne is a Senior Fellow at the Independent Institute, Professor of Economics at George Mason University, and Co-Editor of The Independent Review. He is the author of the new book, In Search of Monsters to Destroy: The Folly of American Empire and the Paths to Peace.
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Nathan P. Goodman is a Ph.D. student in the Department of Economics at George Mason University.
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Other Independent Review articles by Christopher J. Coyne
Spring 2023 How to Run Wars: A Confidential Playbook for the National Security Elite
Spring 2023 The Economic Weapon: The Rise of Sanctions as a Tool of Modern War
Winter 2022/23 Why We Fight: The Roots of War and Paths to Peace
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Other Independent Review articles by Nathan P. Goodman
Spring 2021 Infectious Diseases and Government Growth
Fall 2020 The Politics of War Powers: The Theory and History of Presidential Unilateralism
Fall 2019 Self-Regulation and Human Progress: How Society Gains When We Govern Less