A Note on Social Welfare Losses With and Without the Draft

Richard V.L. Cooper

ResearchPublished 1975

A reassessment of the social costs associated with draft and no-draft military forces. Although public attention tends to center on budget costs, the more relevant variable from the standpoint of public policy is social cost, since this is the price that society as a whole pays for maintaining a military labor force. This analysis shows that social welfare losses are possible both with and without the draft. Those associated with the draft are considerably in excess of those associated with a volunteer military. More generally, this analysis points to the importance of the methods for measuring social costs and to the need for more comprehensive treatment of these costs as an input to public policy.

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  • Copyright: RAND Corporation
  • Availability: Available
  • Year: 1975
  • Print Format: Paperback
  • Paperback Pages: 22
  • Paperback Price: $20.00
  • Document Number: P-5518

Citation

RAND Style Manual
Cooper, Richard V.L., A Note on Social Welfare Losses With and Without the Draft, RAND Corporation, P-5518, 1975. As of October 11, 2024: https://www.rand.org/pubs/papers/P5518.html
Chicago Manual of Style
Cooper, Richard V.L., A Note on Social Welfare Losses With and Without the Draft. Santa Monica, CA: RAND Corporation, 1975. https://www.rand.org/pubs/papers/P5518.html. Also available in print form.
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