A high-level international conference
La Chair in Defence Economics was represented at the 23rd Economics and Security Conference which took place in Madrid (Instituto Gutiérrez Mellado) from 26 to 28 June 2019.
This year's event was organised by Carlos Martí Sempere (Instituto Gutiérrez Mellado), Paul Dunne (University of Cape Town) and Antonio Fonfría Mesa (Universidad Complutense de Madrid).
A sixty articles were presented on the two days. The quality exchanges have brought together specialists from all over the world (United States, United Kingdom, France, Canada, Spain, Germany, Greece, South Africa, Sweden, Brazil, China, etc.).
From more than 20 years, this annual international conference provides an opportunity for economists, political scientists and researchers from other disciplines from all over the world to present their work in the field of’defence, security and peace economics (for more information on past editions of this conference, click here).
For several years now, the researchers from the Economics of Defence Chair are taking part in this conference, which cover different research themes in defence and security economics.
Contribution of the Chair: the sustainability of external operations
Josselin Droff and Julien Malizard presented a paper on sustainability of external operations in which France has been engaged since the late 1990s. The work follows on from an article published in 2018 in The Champs de Mars (to see the article, click here).
- The authors are building a database using technical availability rate in mainland France of French defence equipment (1997-2017 period).
- A econometric analysis via a multi-level model (mixed model), shows that the intensity of external operations has a negative impact on the availability rate of all equipment over the long term. A concave relationship between age and availability is demonstrated, and scale effects are shown.
- The consequences of this situation are discussed, by underlining the difficulties that this entails in terms of’training and maintaining military capabilities over the long term.
Contribution of the Chair: Lexicometric analysis of White Papers on Defence
Elisa Darriet and Josselin Droff presented an original work, particularly in terms of methodology, involving a lexicometric analysis of the various White Papers:
- Lexicometric analysis is used to analyse the contents of the four White Papers (1972, 1994, 2008 and 2013) on Defence in France, as well as the 2017 Strategic Review.
- In a diachronic analysis, A top-down hierarchical classification enables us to discuss the evolution of the «lexical worlds» of the White Papers.
- A synchronic analysis to identify and discuss continuities or on the contrary breaks in the texts.
