Citation

Gartzke E. Am. J. Polit. Sci. 2007; 51(1): 166-191.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2007, John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1111/j.1540-5907.2007.00244.x

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

It is widely accepted that democracies are less conflict prone, if only with other democracies. Debate persists, however, about the causes underlying liberal peace. This article offers a contrarian account based on liberal political economy. Economic development, free markets, and similar interstate interests all anticipate a lessening of militarized disputes or wars. This “capitalist peace” also accounts for the effect commonly attributed to regime type in standard statistical tests of the democratic peace.