Military Conscription

The book describes the social costs of conscription in the Netherlands using methods from Public Finance and Law and Economics. This analysis shows that both the tax for the population, or the subsidy for the armed forces, and the lack of scarcity considering human resources caused by the draft, brings armed forces with too many men, military and youngster at huge costs for the population. The book also shows that almost every other institution in the armed forces, like pay-schemes, selection procedures, seize of troups etc., is influenced by conscription, so that the success of a volunteer force can only be established if these institutions are changed as well. The book also includes issues like the democratic aspects of conscription, the organisation of UN-peacekeeping operations and social conscription. The book is a very valuable source for those researchers, military and politicians that face the question: military conscription or a volunteer-force?