How States Pay for Wars

"""With admirably thorough research, Rosella Cappella Zielinski teaches us much about a critical yet remarkably underresearched topic-how governments pay for war. This masterful book deserves to be on the shelf of anyone interested in the nexus of international relations and international political economy.""-Benjamin J. Cohen, Louis G. Lancaster Professor of International Political Economy, University of California, Santa Barbara, author of The Geography of Money ""In the important How States Pay for Wars, Rosella Cappella Zielinski explores the sources of war financing decisions by states. She seeks to explain why states choose to finance wars through different strategies, including taxation, domestic debt, printing money, or external finance. This understudied topic merits careful attention. Cappella Zielinski's excellent book is a must-read for scholars, graduate students, and policymakers interested in the political economy of security and international relations more broadly.""-Norrin M. Ripsman, Lehigh University, author of Peacemaking from Above, Peace from Below: Ending Conflict between Regional Rivals ""How States Pay for Wars contributes importantly to the current renaissance of research on the political economy of national security. Rosella Cappella Zielinski presents a compelling explanation of how governments decide whether to pay for the wars they fight. Drawing heavily on detailed historical research on cases that span 150 years, she convincingly demonstrates that the choice to tax or borrow hinges on public support, concern about inflation, and state capacity. The argument has obvious relevance to contemporary U.S. defense spending decisions. This thin volume is sure to have a wide impact.""-Thomas Oatley, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, author of A Political Economy of American Hegemony: Buildups, Booms, and Busts"