ABSTRACT
This chapter deals with the general case of loss of order within society and its subsequent movement along a continuum between order and violent disorder. It aims to extend the public choice analysis of political decisionmaking beyond the mature institutional framework of democracies. The chapter presents a theory of insurgency based upon the standard assumptions of economic theory and public choice. It seeks to demonstrate that insurgency and counterinsurgency are crucial steps in the process that moves a society from order to organized, sustained collective violence that cannot be ignored. Theoretical economic work on insurgency and insurrection generally assumes that two groups—the government and the core group that leads the opposition—compete for allocational decision making authority over a country's resources. 'Evolutionary' revolutions, through insurgency and civil disobedience, are more deliberate due to the need for extensive organizational growth leading to the involvement of a relatively large portion of the population.
