Nathan Goodman to speak on Border Militarization as an Entrepreneurial Process on October 20th

Our next virtual seminar will take place on October 20, at 2:30 E.T. Nathan Goodman will speak on Border Militarization as an Entrepreneurial Process. Nathan is a PhD student in economics at George Mason University, as well as a PhD fellow with the Mercatus Center and a Graduate Fellow with the F.A. Hayek Program for Advanced Study in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics. Nathan's paper is attached to this email and here is the abstract: 

In recent decades, American border security officials have increased their use of military hardware, adopted training and tactics originally used by military forces, and increasingly collaborated with military and intelligence personnel. Much of this has occurred during episodic crises, which introduce profit opportunities for political entrepreneurs. These entrepreneurial responses to crises create additional political profit opportunities associated with maintaining and expanding the militarized aspects of border security policy. Some of these opportunities involve applying militarized powers in new arenas, causing mission creep. As political entrepreneurs seize these opportunities, they create new opportunities in turn. This results in a dynamic process of militarization and government growth over time.

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