Choosing Peace Instead of War. A Lesson from Athenian Democracy

Emmanouil-Marios-Lazaros Economou () and Kyriazis Nicholas C.
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Kyriazis Nicholas C.: Department of Economics, University of Thessaly, Volos, Magnesia, Greece

Peace Economics, Peace Science, and Public Policy, 2016, vol. 22, issue 2, 191-212

Abstract: The present essay discusses how a society can make decisions on specific issues according to how flexible or rigid it is in accepting new ideas and trends. Then, it explains how Athenian society abandoned war in favor of a grand peace strategy during the second half of the 4th century BCE. To achieve this, two visionary Athenian policymakers, Eubulus and Lycurgus, introduced fiscal expansionary policy programs which proved beneficial for the majority of the citizens. Through expansionary public works programs, Athenian citizens were now able to make decisions based on rational choices, based on a wider economic prospective. They could now gain more during periods of peace (as traders, ship-owners, “industrialists” etc.), providing compensation to the poor.

Keywords: social choice; open society; fiscal expansionary programs; grand peace strategy; Late 4th century BCE Athens (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: H30 H53 H56 N43 Z13 Z18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2016
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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DOI: 10.1515/peps-2015-0038

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