Military Service in Political Appointees

This award is funded in whole or in part under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (Public Law 117-2). This project addresses how prior military service affects the appointment and performance of high-level political advisors by developing and analyzing a new cross-national data set detailing the military experience of political appointees around the world.

The cross-national data set includes descriptive information on political appointees post-World War II and allows scholars and policymakers to better understand the beliefs and actions of high-level political appointees to both military and civilian government appointments.

The project compiles a database of military experience for tens of thousands of cabinet-level officials, in more than 150 countries during the post-World War II era. It provides information on the duration and branch of service, final rank, combat experience, commendations, and service with rebel groups, among other relevant factors. The new data set helps to address a range of questions regarding political appointees, including the likelihood of veteran appointments, the effect of veteran advisors on the hawkishness or dovishness of foreign policy, and the effect of such officials on the probability of military victory.

The complete data set advances basic research on executive appointments, civil-military relations, and international conflict, among other subfields.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.