| ID | 166609 |
| Title Proper | Tripwires and free-riders |
| Other Title Information | do forward-deployed U.S. troops reduce the willingness of host-country citizens to fight for their country? |
| Language | ENG |
| Author | Jakobsen, Tor G ; Jakobsen, Jo |
| Summary / Abstract (Note) | This article investigates the relationship between U.S. overseas troops and the willingness of the citizens of host states to fight for their country. The study joins the long-running debate about burden-sharing and free-riding among U.S. allies. Unlike most previous empirical studies, we focus on non-material or intangible measures of the underlying concepts. Our dependent variable estimates the proportion of citizens expressing a willingness to fight for their country. Scores at the aggregate-national as well as the individual level are shaped by the presence of U.S. military forces, which act as a “tripwire” signaling credible security commitments. This increases opportunities of (non-material) free-riding. We present both bivariate and multivariate analyses covering the period 1981–2014 to test this supposition. Findings indicate that once U.S. troop levels reach a certain threshold (between 100 and 500 troops), citizens’ willingness to fight drops significantly. This likely reflects non-material free-riding. |
| `In' analytical Note | Contemporary Security Policy Vol. 40, No.2; Apr 2019: p.135-164 |
| Journal Source | Contemporary Security Policy Vol: 40 No 2 |
| Key Words | Burden-Sharing ; Free-Riding ; U.S. troops ; Willingness to Fight ; Tripwire ; U.S. Military Bases |