Is it economically rational for political entities to choose the path of destructive conflict rather than that of mutually beneficial exchange and cooperation? Defence economics has been developed to answer this fundamental question, which has long been overshadowed by the work of the "founding fathers" of economics. As such, it highlights the "rational part" of conflicts, even if these can generate considerable human, economic and ecological costs. It also shows that compromises are very often reached "in the shadow of arms". Today, all commercial, financial, technological and human interdependencies can be manipulated for geopolitical ends. Faced with this broad spectrum of threats, the economics of defence and war offers a whole range of reasoning, evaluation and analysis tools to help public authorities size up the defence effort, to encourage armed forces and arms manufacturers to perform, to broaden the innovation base and to prepare, if necessary, for an economy of war.
QUINET Alain, Paris, Economica, 2023
