Recruitment and Retention in Rebel Groups

Abstract

Recruitment and retention constitute fundamental requirements for any organization. For a rebel group engaged in armed conflict with the state, recruitment and retention of personnel can constitute the difference between life and death for the leadership of such organizations and the organizations themselves. Utilizing a principal-agent analysis of participation and incentive compatibility constraints, we develop a formal model of recruitment and retention in a rebel group with and without contestation. The model better accounts for positive utility from fighting, and is therefore useful for understanding recruitment and retention in a wider set of rebel groups, ranging from loot-seeking organizations motivated by private benefits on the one hand, to groups driven by individuals motivated by communal benefits or highly ideological or religious principles on the other.

Keywords: civil war, recruitment, retention, rebellion organizations, principal-agent, religion

JEL Classification: C72, D74