A hidden cost of war: the impact of mobilizing reserve troops on emergency response times

Christopher Coyne, Abigail Hall (), Patrick McLaughlin () and Ann Zerkle ()
Authors registered in the RePEc Author Service: Abigail Blanco ()

Public Choice, 2014, vol. 161, issue 3, 289-303

Abstract: This paper analyzes a hidden cost of war: the effect of the mass mobilization of reserve troops on the response times of domestic emergency services to accidents. We provide a statistical examination of this linkage following the US invasion of Iraq in 2003 and find that mobilization significantly increases response times to accidents in the United States. These mobilization-related costs are exacerbated by both legal restrictions and issues of replacing highly specialized human capital. Copyright Springer Science+Business Media New York 2014

Keywords: Military reserves; Mobilization; First responders; Unintended costs of war; C20; H56; I19; J29 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2014
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:kap:pubcho:v:161:y:2014:i:3:p:289-303

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DOI: 10.1007/s11127-014-0200-4

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