Governments, Rebels, and the Use of Child Soldiers in Internal Armed Conflicts: A Global Analysis, 1987–2007

Tynes Robert and Early Bryan R. ()
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Tynes Robert: Africana Studies Program and Bard Prison Initiative, PO Box 5000, Bard College, Annandale-on-Hudson, NY 12504, USA
Early Bryan R.: Department of Political Science, University at Albany, SUNY, Milne Hall, Room 300A, 135 Western Ave., Albany, NY 12222, USA

Peace Economics, Peace Science, and Public Policy, 2015, vol. 21, issue 1, 79-110

Abstract: Why do governments and rebel groups employ child soldiers in some internal armed conflicts but not in others? This study argues that child soldiers can be viewed as a military innovation that governments and rebel groups have differing costs and incentives in employing. It is hypothesized that longer, bloodier conflicts, disputant capacities, and the presence of democratic institutions significantly influence whether child soldiers are used by one or both parties during internal armed conflicts. The effects of these factors are statistically analyzed, uncovering new insights into global patterns of child soldier usage by governments and rebel groups.

Keywords: child soldiers; internal armed conflicts; civil war; rebel groups; military innovation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2015
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DOI: 10.1515/peps-2014-0001

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