Browsing by Subject "http://www.yso.fi/onto/yso/p10821"

Conflict-related violence and fragility are among the core development challenges of our time. Over the past decades, most armed conflicts have comprised one or more non-state actors, and conflicts commonly arise among domestic actors. These non-state actors cannot resort to conscript armies and thus need to motivate citizens to join their ranks. Due to this, addressing individual participation motivations is an integral part of the study of conflict. Armed conflict participation is puzzling because it comes with significant risks. In contrast, the possible benefits of conflict outcomes are often public and non-excludable goods, making conflict participation subject to a free rider problem. This thesis provides a narrative literature review of individual participation motivations in the presence of the free rider problem. The focus is on situations where individuals are not conscripts, and the armed groups cannot mobilise an existing reserve of combatants. The existing economic literature has addressed individual-level conflict participation motivations relatively little. This thesis assesses different motivational factors’ ability to solve the free rider problem and seeks to inspire future research. Both theoretical and empirical literature is covered. This thesis addresses three motivational factors: (1) material incentives and the opportunity cost of participation; (2) grievances and socio-emotional incentives; and (3) negative incentives, particularly forced participation and the cost of non-action. This thesis does not seek to determine which motivation provides the best explanation. Instead, the logic behind each motivational factor is illustrated, and their ability to solve the free rider problem is critically evaluated. This thesis concludes that each motivational factor can help solve the free rider problem, but relying on a single motivation is often insufficient. This thesis recommends that economists look beyond material incentives and account for various motivations. Complementing material incentives with socio-emotional and negative incentives, in particular, gives a fuller picture of why individuals are willing to participate and risk their lives in conflict activities. However, further empirical research is needed to identify and test the abovementioned motivations.