Published January 6, 2009 in the Wall Street Journal:

To the Editor,

Martin Feldstein’s December 24 Op-Ed "Defense Spending Would Be Great Stimulus" argues for a $30 billion increase in military spending as part of the economic stimulus package, claiming it could create about 300,000 additional jobs. There are many other ways to stimulate the economy that would be more effective both in terms of job creation and usefulness.

Military spending is notorious for creating low employment per dollar. But more importantly, the US is spending more than the rest of the world combined on defense, spending that is already way out of proportion to what our mission in the world should be. The defense budget contains much that is useless and could be cut, such as missile defense, and ships and planes designed to fight the Cold War, as well as funding for the huge American presence in Iraq. There is no shortage of useful civilian projects to which these funds could be shifted.

Michael D. Intriligator, Professor of Economics, Political Science, and Public Policy, University of California, Los Angeles

Call for Papers: The 13th Annual International Conference on Economics and Security will take place June 24–26, 2009 at CITY College in Thessaloniki, Greece.

Offers of papers are invited for a conference sponsored by EPS-UK; EPS-Greece; the Business Administration and Economics Department, CITY College, an affiliated institution of the University of Sheffield; the University of the West of England; and SEERC (South East European Research Centre). The conference will have plenary sessions with keynote speakers, plus specialist workshop streams.

Proposed topics include:

• Security in the Balkan region
• European security
• Economics of security
• Globalization and the restructuring of the MIC
• Militarism and development
• Security sector reform
• Economics of conflict and war
• Economics of post-conflict reconstruction
• Economics of arms procurement, trade and offsets
• Arms races and alliances
• Peace science
• Conversion and demilitarization
• Economics of terrorism

Offers of papers on other related topics are welcome. Please send a title and abstract as soon as possible and before March 15, 2009 to:

Dr. Eftychia Nikolaidou, Business Administration & Economics Department,
CITY College, Affiliated College of the University of Sheffield,
17 Mitropoleos St, 546 24, Thessaloniki, Greece.
Tel. (+30) 2310 253477, (+30) 2310 224026
Fax. (+30) 2310 253478
email: enikolaidou@city.academic.gr

The conference website is http://www.city.academic.gr/special/events/economics_and_security09/index.html

Vol. 4, No. 1 of the Economics of Peace and Security Journal is now available online. Non-subscribers can access the abstracts and contents pages. This issue contains symposia on defense innovation and the economics of conflict with contributions by:

• Renaud Bellais on defense innovation and venture capital
• Sylvain Daffix and Yves Jacquin on European defense R&D and national R&D systems
• Peter Hall and Andrew James on industry structure and innovation in the British defense sector
• Philip Verwimp introduces the symposium articles
• S. Mansoob Murshed on greed, grievance, and social contract
• M. Zulfan Tadjoeddin and Anis Chowdhury on violence in Indonesia
• Ana María Ibáñez on forced displacement in Colombia
• Steven Spittaels and Filip Hilgert on conflict mapping in the Congo
  

And articles by:

• Christopher E.S. Warburton on war and exchange rate valuation
• Steve Chan on the democratic peace proposition
• Steve Townsend on Thomas Friedman’s First Law of Petropolitics
• Ronen Bar-El, Kobi Kagan, and Asher Tishler on military planning

EPS members receive a 25% discount on the annual subscription to the Economics of Peace and Security Journal. Regular one-year subscriptions are $40 per year; for EPS members the one-year subscription is $30.

The Journal is a peer-reviewed online publication hosted by EPS-UK. Published twice yearly, it raises and debates all issues related to the political economy of personal, communal, national, international, and global peace and security. Past contributors have included Joseph Stiglitz, James Galbraith, and Lawrence Klein. The Journal’s website also includes book reviews submitted by members and subscribers.

For more information or to subscribe to the Journal, visit http://www.epsjournal.org.uk/

To become a member of EPS (and to qualify for the subscription discount) please visit: http://www.epsusa.org/membership/membership.htm

The Berghof Research Center for Constructive Conflict Management (http://www.berghof-center.org) was set up in 1993 by the Berghof Foundation for Conflict Studies in order to explore constructive procedures and models for dealing with ethnopolitical conflicts.

The Center aims to occupy the middle-ground between theory and practice in the study of ethnopolitical conflict. Thus they produce research that can generate ideas, tools and resources for the practice of conflict transformation, and draw on practical experience to generate innovative research and conceptual approaches. Their goal is to contribute not only to an increased understanding of peacemaking and peacebuilding processes, but also actively to support such work.

Among their many projects are the Georg Zundel PhD Research Grants. Applications, including a research outline (maximum 6 pages), references, CV, and supporting documents should be sent to researchgrant@berghof-center.org by 31 March 2009.

This work is a result of an expanded NPP initiative, which now includes a database of 2004-2008 military recruitment numbers broken down by zip code, county and state. A snapshot analysis and overview of current military recruitment data, which includes a ranking of counties by recruits per thousand youth, charts and tables on a particular county, zip code or state is available at http://www.nationalpriorities.org/militaryrecruiting2008

Call for Papers: Technologhy and Economic Development Conference, the 3rd International Conference on Innovation, Technology and Knowledge Economics in Ankara, Turkey, hosted by METU-TEKPOL, Science and TEchnology Policies Research Center, Middle East Techinical University (METU). June 24 - 265, 2009.

Key Themes:

• Links between innovation, R&D and economic performance
• Innovation and technology diffusion
• Knowledge management and learning in organizations
• Systemic nature of innovation (national, sectoral and local)
• Science, technology and innovation poilicies
• Issues concerning developing countries and technological change
• Economic impact of new technnologies

Deadline for abstract submission: February 9. For application and submission details, and for further information, please refer to: http://conf09.metu.edu.tr

Call for papers: the annual Jan Tinbergen European Peace Science Conference will take place June 29 – July 1, 2009 at the Tinbergen Institute, Roeterstraat 31, 1018 WB Amsterdam, the Netherlands.

At the conference there will be continuing emphasis on research methods in peace science, but also papers dealing with all aspects of the peace science field, from pure abstract theory to practical applied research will be accepted. As a guide to topics, recall those in previous conferences:

• Arms Control and International Security
• Deterrence Theory
• Harmony and Conflict
• Cooperation, Alliances and Games
• Game and Related Theory
• Mathematical Approaches to Conflict Management
• Mathematical Models of Arms Races and Wars
• Empirical and Historical Studies on the Causes of War
• Crises and War Studies
• World Models
• Critical Economic Aspects of the Global Crises
• Long-Run Aspects of the Behavior of International Systems
• Peace Science Methodology and Theory
• Conflict Analysis and Management
• Artificial Intelligence and Cognitive Studies
• Behavioral Studies
• Hierarchy Theory

The papers presented can be considered for publication in Conflict Management and Peace Science, Peace Economics, Peace Science and Public Policy, The Journal of Conflict Resolution, and International Interactions.

All abstracts (150-250 words) with tentative title submitted before February 1, 2009 will be considered for the conference. Proposals received after February 1, 2009 will only be considered if any presentation slots are still available. Those who are interested in participating should submit their proposal (abstract, tentative title, author name(s) and affiliation(s)) either in a word document or in a plain text e-mail to NEPSconference@gmail.com.

For more information, please visit www.bepress.com/peps

The Editors-in-chief of Elsevier Journals are currently accepting manuscripts in all fields of human endeavor. Authors are invited to submit manuscripts reporting recent developments in their fields. Papers submitted will be sorted out and published in any of the numerous journals that best fit.

Elsevier will also organize seminars at strategic cities all over the world to showcase the research work gathered by this special publication procedure.

The submitted papers must be written in English and describe original research not published nor currently under review by other journals. All submitted papers, if relevant to the theme and objectives of the journal, will go through an external peer-review process. Submissions should include an abstract, 5–10 key words, and the e-mail address of the corresponding author. The paper length should not exceed 30 double-spaced pages including figures and references on 8.5 by 11 inch paper using at least 11 point font. Authors should select a category designation for their manuscripts (article, short communication, review, etc.).

Papers should be submitted electronically via email as Microsoft Word or PDF attachments, and should include a cover sheet containing corresponding author’s name, paper title, affiliation, mailing address, phone, fax number, email address etc.

Would-be authors should send their manuscript to: elsevierpublishers@live.co.uk

Dell Social Innovation Competition
Enter your innovative idea in the 2009 Social Innovation Competition and change the world! Dream up a plan that combines creativity and innovation to tackle a pressing social issue. Then enter your idea online.

RGK Center at University of Texas at Austin invites undergraduate and graduate level students from any 4-year university or college in the world to enter by February 20, 2009. Winner will be awarded $50,000 to launch his/her venture.

Students from all disciplines are challenged to unleash their energy, idealism and public-spirited thinking to affect change in areas of critical human need. The RGK Center is searching for student social entrepreneurs to develop compelling and innovative plans for new initiatives that will contribute to the public good.

The competition has three stages. College students from around the globe are invited to enter the competition online by briefly stating their innovation. From all entries, a small group is selected as semifinalists and invited to develop a detailed venture plan. Three finalists present their plans to a selection committee comprised of leaders from the business, nonprofit and government sectors. At the final event, held at the University of Texas at Austin, a single winner is chosen and awarded $50,000 to launch their venture.

More information and submission guidelines at: http://www.utexas.edu/lbj/rgk/competition/enter.php

The United States Institute of Peace sponsors the annual National Peace Essay Contest. The 2008 – 2009 contest topic is Confronting Crimes against Humanity. According to international law, crimes against humanity are specified acts - such as murder, enslavement, torture, and rape - committed as part of a widespread or systematic attack against civilian populations. Although many policymakers, experts, and practitioners recognize the need to protect civilians from crimes against humanity, there is little consensus on the best way to achieve that end.

The contest invites participants to discuss, in a 1500-word essay, how international actors (the UN, regional organizations, governments, and/or non-governmental organizations) can improve their capacity to implement the responsibility to protect civilians from crimes against humanity during conflict.

The deadline for entries is February 1, 2009. More information is at http://www.usip.org/ed/npec/topic.html

The first annual World Vision International Peace Prize will be granted on the International Day of Peace in 2009. The Peace Prize is given in honor and memory of Steve Williams (1951–2007).

The Peace Prize consists of two awards. A Peacebuilding Award recognizes the work of an agency or organization. A Peacemaking Award honors an individual. Find out more about these awards in the Guidelines. The prize is $5,000 for an organization and $1,000 for an individual and a physical trophy with the award designation.

Deadline for nominations is February 15, 2009. More information at http://www.wvi.org/wvi/wviweb.nsf/maindocs/AC6E33C8CE519993882574C50060CD3E?opendocument

Questions can be addressed to wvi_peaceprize@wvi.org.

The Initiative for Policy Dialogue (IPD) at Columbia University is looking to hire a professional with strong organizational and management skills to be its new Managing Director.

The IPD was founded in July 2000 to help developing countries explore economic policy alternatives and enable wider civic participation in economic policymaking. IPD is now a global network of more than 250 leading economists, political scientists, and practitioners from the North and South with diverse backgrounds and views. It is supported by a wide array of foundations, development agencies, and international organizations. It is chaired by Nobel Prize winner Joseph E. Stiglitz, formerly chief economist of the World Bank, and Jose Antonio Ocampo, formerly UN Undersecretary for Economic and Social Affairs and head of the UN Commission for Latin America. It has active and successful programs involving country dialogues, education, journalism training, research, and conferences on development issues. The results of its research and conferences are published by Oxford University Press and Columbia University Press. While the focus of IPDs work is on research and education, it engages in advocacy on behalf of the interests of developing countries in certain arenas.

For complete job listing, please see https://jobs.columbia.edu/applicants/jsp/shared/frameset/Frameset.jsp?time=1227203800734

The New Ideas Fund is seeking to support individuals to generate and develop new ideas in the fields of foreign policy and national security.  NIF projects should result in a policy brief or a “white-paper” style report detailing the author’s new vision for American foreign policy.  The New Ideas Fund will also consider publicizing already published material.

NIF funds ambitious projects that promise to shift foreign policy and national security debates in new, progressive directions. When submitting a project proposal, prospective grantees should explain the focus of their project, its significance to the foreign policy and national security disciplines, how it differs from past approaches, and its potential to effect progressive change either in the near future or in the long term.

Grants are available in the $5,000 to $25,000 range. For more information visit http://www.newideasfund.org/

On January 20, twelve Nobel Prize Laureates and a former Under-Secretary General of the United Nations addressed US President Barack Obama. In an open letter they remind President Obama of his promise to seek a world in which there are no nuclear weapons. Pointing to the shortfalls of the existing international regime for nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament, Sir Harold Kroto (Nobel Prize for Chemistry), Member of the Advisory Board of INES, and his co-signers remind Barack Obama of the recent suggestion by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to use the existing Model Nuclear Weapons Convention as a starting point for the path into a world free of nuclear weapons .

The letter begins, "We are inspired by your public statements, that you will seek a world in which there are no nuclear weapons. This fundamental change of thinking deserves our full support. We agree that the dangers of existing nuclear arsenals of the five acknowledged nuclear weapon states and the four de-facto nuclear weapon states (more than 100,000 Hiroshima bomb equivalents) as well as the dramatically increasing risks of nuclear proliferation to other states and terrorists require new political concepts and technical approaches. Nuclear weapons are inherently inhumane because they can cause the extinction of all humankind and have long-term genetic and ecological effects."

Read the letter at www.inesglobal.com

Economists for Peace and Security is proud to announce the release of a report on the Bush Administration's outer space policy. The report, Space, Security and the Economy, warns that the present policy of space dominance could transform outer space into a military battleground.

Official US policy asserts the right to deny any nation access to space if its actions are "perceived" to be hostile. This policy, together with other actions such as withdrawal from the ABM treaty and the ongoing development of weapons intended to attack objects in space, could lead to the deployment of weapons in space. If the US stations weapons in space other nations are likely to do the same, and we will be faced with an arms race in space.

The report concludes that no one can prevail and all stand to lose in an arms race in space. Among other consequences would be negative effects on the growing scientific and commercial uses of space, and on the economy. In particular, private investors are unlikely to place additional resources at risk in a vulnerable area of potential military conflict.

The report calls for changes in the policy of space dominance, greater transparency in military space spending, and detailed information about government and commercial space activities.

To view a PDF of the report, please visit: http://www.e/psusa.org/publications/papers/spacesecurity.pdf

To request a hard copy, please email Thea Harvey theaharvey@epsusa.org

Read YubaNet's blog about the report: http://yubanet.com/usa/Report-Economic-Impact-of-Arms-Race-in-Space.php

“Arms, War and Terrorism in the Global Economy Today: Economic Analyses and Civilian Alternatives” is a volume published by Bremer Schriften zur Konversion that presents papers of two joint seminars of EPS and the European Association for Evolutionary Political Economy (EAEPE) which took place in Rethymon, Crete, Greece, complemented by papers from the Second International Conference on Defense, Security, and Economic Development held in Larissa, Greece in 2004.

Contributing authors include Michael Intriligator, Fannie Coulomb, Jacques Fontanel, Jurgen Brauer, Gulay Gunluk-Senesen, J. Paul Dunne, Luc Mampaey, Claude Serfati, Christos Kollias, Clark Abt, and Lucy Law Webster, as well as many other notable economists.

The book is available from the publishers, LIT Verlag, for €24.90 at http://www.lit-verlag.de/isbn/3-8258-0045-1.

Fact Sheets: Periodically, we release two-sided fact sheets designed to give an accessible, graphic look at one specific issue of concern to our members and constituency.

Global Arms Trade 2004 examines the world’s supplies of conventional weapons and small arms. http://www.epsusa.org/publications/factsheets/globalarmstrade.pdf.

Military vs. Social Spending: Warfare or Human Welfare compares US and global military spending with the costs of achieving the UN Millennium Development Goals. http://www.epsusa.org/publications/factsheets/milexMDG.pdf.

Conflict or Development? This book has a regional focus on Africa, the site of most of the world’s current armed conflicts. In its pages some of the leading economists of the day analyze and reflect on the relationships among military spending, domestic and foreign policy, security, and human welfare. Features include country studies, sections on business and conflict, and “Trends in World Military Expenditure.” Written in a general-interest style, with informative maps, tables, and graphs, the series is designed to inform the debate among policymakers, activists, journalists, academics, students, and citizens worldwide.

You can order Conflict or Development by emailing theaharvey@epsusa.org.

Conflict or Development is also a valuable resource in teaching economics, political science, and international relations courses. To review a copy for use in your syllabus, email Thea Harvey at theaharvey@epsusa.org.

Data Resource webpage offers links to data sources for:

• International military expenditure and conflict indicators
• US military expenditure and capabilities
• Western Europe
• Russia

http://www.epsusa.org/network/data.htm. If you know of a data source that you feel should be added to our list, please contact Thea Harvey at theaharvey@epsusa.org.

The United Nations Association of the US (UNA-USA) is sponsoring a campaign to encourage President Obama to follow through on his rhetoric of closer international ties and a more multilateral approach to foreign policy. Please visit http://capwiz.com/unausa/issues/alert/?alertid=12456086 to advocate for the importance of active and responsible US engagement with the United Nations.

President Obama has stated that he favors reducing and ultimately abolishing nuclear weapons. The Council for a Livable World is collecting signatures on a call to eliminate nuclear weapons, as agreed to by all signatories of the Nonproliferation Treaty, including the United States.

This is an important moment to renew the call for the elimination of nuclear weapons.

• Russia and the United States combined possess more than 16,000 nuclear warheads – enough to destroy the world more than 100 times over.
• The United States has not yet ratified the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty that would end all explosive nuclear bomb testing.
• New countries are starting their own nuclear programs.

To join the Campaign for a Nuclear Weapons Free World and the call to eliminate nuclear weapons, please visit: http://livableworld.org/r/12641/31373/

Want to get the word out on the topic that matters most to you? With a letter to your local paper, you can help bring your message not only to your neighbors, but directly to the offices of your Members of Congress as well, where staffers and our lawmakers themselves follow opinions from home with an especially watchful eye.

The ACLU has a tool that helps write and send letters to local papers. Available are a list of media outlets by state, tips on how to write a letter in your own words, plus talking points for the listed topics.

http://action.aclu.org/site/PageServer?pagename=LTE_SOTU_2007&JServSessionIdr001=3bu4
9o8t91.app20a

July 10–12, 2009. New Directions for International Relations, a conference at the Lauder School of Government, Diplomacy and Strategy at IDC-Herzliya, Israel. Topics include: Behavioral Approaches to International Relations; Rational Choice and International Relations; Quantitative and Formal Analysis of Conflict and Conflict Resolution; Negotiations and Mediation in International Conflicts; Methodological Innovations in IR; and a special panel on Conflict Resolution in the Middle East: Bridging the Gap between Academia and Practice.

If you have enjoyed this issue of EPS NewsNotes, or if you wish to support our mission, please consider donating to EPS. You can do so securely online through our website or by sending a check to:

Economists for Peace and Security
at the Levy Economics Institute
Box 5000
Annandale on Hudson, NY 12504
USA

Questions? Call (845) 758-0917, or email info@epsusa.org.

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