Book contents
- The Peace Formula
- The Peace Formula
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Acknowledgments
- Part I Apocalypse No!
- Part II The Logic of Evil
- Part III Give Peace a Chance!
- 6 Power to the People
- 7 State Capacity for Stability
- 8 Plenty Makes Peace
- 9 Forgiving Not Fighting
- 10 A Role for All of Us?
- 11 Global Coordination to Curb Conflict
- Part IV The Art of Peace
- Notes
- Bibliography
- Index
8 - Plenty Makes Peace
Education, Health and Labor Market Policies
from Part III - Give Peace a Chance!
Published online by Cambridge University Press: aN Invalid Date NaN
- The Peace Formula
- The Peace Formula
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Acknowledgments
- Part I Apocalypse No!
- Part II The Logic of Evil
- Part III Give Peace a Chance!
- 6 Power to the People
- 7 State Capacity for Stability
- 8 Plenty Makes Peace
- 9 Forgiving Not Fighting
- 10 A Role for All of Us?
- 11 Global Coordination to Curb Conflict
- Part IV The Art of Peace
- Notes
- Bibliography
- Index
Summary
This chapter shows that a series of public policies have the potential to boost citizens’ perspectives for finding work and thereby foster incentives for peace. The first prominent policy is to invest in education. A more educated population generates countless benefits, one of which is the prospect of obtaining better jobs. Fundamentally, more meaningful employment raises the opportunity cost of giving up paid work to join an armed rebellion. Furthermore, physical capital (money) can more easily be stolen than human capital (knowledge). Hence, investing cash in building classrooms means that trying to topple the state will become less lucrative. Next, it is spelled out how better health leads to both a longer time horizon and a higher opportunity cost of conflict. This, in turn, makes long-run (peaceful) investments more appealing and reduces the scope for short-term appropriation and looting. Finally, a series of labor market policies are assessed, stressing the role of good jobs in making it less attractive to leave work and go to war. Empirical evidence from a variety of contexts is presented.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- The Peace FormulaVoice, Work and Warranties, Not Violence, pp. 116 - 131Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2024