Private Military and Security Companies (PMSCs), Military Effectiveness, and Conflict Severity in Weak States, 1990–2007



Petersohn, Ulrich ORCID: 0000-0002-2423-5264
(2015) Private Military and Security Companies (PMSCs), Military Effectiveness, and Conflict Severity in Weak States, 1990–2007. Journal of Conflict Resolution, 61 (5). pp. 1046-1072.

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Abstract

For more than two decades, private military and security companies (PMSCs) have become increasingly involved in armed conflicts. A common view is that PMSCs are menaces who simply take economic advantage of—and thereby aggravate—already bad situations. Yet, empirical research has rarely investigated these claims or the impact of commercial actors’ selling force-related services. This article investigates how PMSCs impact the severity of armed conflict in weak states and advances the argument that PMSC services increase the client’s military effectiveness. In turn, increased military effectiveness translates into increased conflict severity, the extent of which depends on type of service provided by the PMSC, the level of competition on the market, and oversight.

Item Type: Article
Uncontrolled Keywords: civil wars, private military and security, military effectiveness, conflict severity
Depositing User: Symplectic Admin
Date Deposited: 19 Mar 2019 10:39
Last Modified: 19 Jan 2023 00:56
DOI: 10.1177/0022002715600758
Related URLs:
URI: https://livrepository.liverpool.ac.uk/id/eprint/3034494