War, what is it good for? Absolutely something : a large N study of conflict efficacy

Abstract

[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT AUTHOR'S REQUEST.] This paper examines the process of goal achievement in conflict. Previous research on violent conflict focuses on winning and losing but fails to examine conflict from a goal achievement perspective. By creating a new variable, conflict efficacy, this dissertation fills the gap. Four major independent variables are examined in this paper. These four variables, power, alliances, regime type, and initiation are examined using multiple indicators and coding procedures to insure that the findings are robust. Power and alliance contributions have a positive effect on goal achievement as does being democratic. However, counter intuitively and against much of the previous literature, initiation has a strong negative relationship with goal achievement. This finding is investigated further and several potential reasons for this finding are explored and tested. Ultimately, this dissertation offers a new approach to the conflict outcome research agenda by focusing not on the conflict outcomes but on what each state receives from the use of force.