Environmental pressures and pro-government militias: Evidence from the Philippines

Joshua Eastin and Steven T Zech
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Joshua Eastin: Department of Political Science, 6685Portland State University, USA
Steven T Zech: Department of Politics and International Relations, 2541Monash University, Australia

Conflict Management and Peace Science, 2023, vol. 40, issue 5, 489-510

Abstract: This study analyzes whether climate disasters and climate-induced food scarcities influence individuals’ willingness to fight for the state in a pro-government militia in the Philippines. We find that experiencing a disaster or subsistence loss corresponds to an increased willingness to join, even when accounting for other prominent explanations in the literature. This outcome, we argue, reflects the impact of climate change on the opportunity costs of conflict participation, especially in regions dependent on agriculture for income and food production, as diminished livelihood opportunities and subsistence resource access increase the viability of conflict participation as a strategy for livelihood diversification.

Keywords: Climate change; pro-government militias; civil conflict; counterinsurgency; the philippines; food security; livelihoods (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:sae:compsc:v:40:y:2023:i:5:p:489-510

DOI: 10.1177/07388942221110128

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