This book offers the first comprehensive study of defence offsets and its economic, security, political and theoretical implications.
Originating in the second half of the 19th century, defence offsets - additional economic, industrial and technological benefits to states for buying foreign weapons - have since been a key feature of the global arms trade and defence industry. And yet, offsets are an under-researched and under-theorised phenomenon. This book fills this gap in the literature by offering the first general theory of defence offsets, as well as the first systematic analysis of the offset phenomenon. By building on the insights of scholars of defence economics and drawing from the International Relations liberal paradigm, as well as reviving and adapting Robert Putnam’s two-level game framework, the book proposes a liberal-rationalist theory of defence offsets. It then proves the worth of such a theory through Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA) of fifty-four fighter aircraft transfers from 1992 to 2021 inclusive, and three in-depth case studies addressing offsets negotiated and agreed to as part of fighter aircraft competitions in Brazil, India, and South Korea.
This book will be of interest to students of defence studies, defence economics, security studies and international relations.
Introduction 1. Everything You Need to Know About Defence Offsets: Ontology, History, Politics, and Trends 2. Toward a Liberal-Rationalist Theory of Defence Offsets 3. Performing QCA Analysis on 54 FGA Transfers 4. Brazil’s FX(2) Fighter Aircraft Competition 5. India’s MMRCA Tender: The ‘Mother of All Defence Deals’ 6. South Korea’s F-X3 Conclusions
Jonata Anicetti is a postdoctoral fellow at the Center for Security Studies, Metropolitan University Prague (MUP), and he has a PhD in International Relations from the European University Institute (EUI).
Reviews for Defence Offsets and the Global Arms Trade: Explaining Cross-National Variations
'Jonata Anicetti’s treatment of defence offset is both novel and refreshing. A liberalist-rationalist theoretical framework is employed to critically evaluate the conceptual, historical and contemporary application of offset. In particular, the author examines the offset performance of fighter aircraft programmes by reference to Brazilian, Indian and South Korean case studies, and poses questions as to why offset was sought, why the respective offset packages proved so materially different and why the goal of ‘strategic partnership’ was not a generic outcome. The book represents a huge contribution to knowledge and is a must-read by all scholars of defence-related technology management.' Ron Matthews, Chair, Defence and Security Capability at Rabdan Academy, Abu Dhabi, and Visiting Professor in Defence Economics at Cranfield University at the UK Defence Academy
