LSE–Kiel–CEPR Conference on Defence Economics

Europe’s security is at risk. Rising military spending and the return of large-scale war have reopened fundamental economic questions about defence and security. Many of these questions remain underexplored in economics. This conference aims to foster a high-level academic exchange on defence and military economics, with a focus on deterrence, arms production, alliances, fiscal capacity, and the interaction between war, financial markets, and the macroeconomy.

Keynote speakers: Valerie Ramey (Hoover, Stanford and CEPR) and Noam Yuchtman (LSE and CEPR)

The conference seeks to encourage collaboration and help shape the future research agenda in defence and war economics.

Call for Papers

We invite cutting-edge academic research in defence economics, military economics, and the economics of war and conflict. Submissions from all fields of economics are welcome, including macroeconomics, applied microeconomics, political economy, industrial organization, public finance, economic history, and game theory. Contributions using novel data, advanced empirical methods, or new theoretical frameworks are particularly encouraged.

Topics include, but are not limited to:

• Military spending, defence investment, and macroeconomic effects

• Deterrence, escalation, and arms races

• Defence industrial organization, procurement, and innovation

• Alliances, burden sharing, and security externalities

• Political economy of war

• War and financial markets

• Causes, duration, and consequences of wars

• Historical and quantitative work on defence and war economies

We welcome full papers, advanced drafts, and substantial work in progress that is close to completion.

Submit your research via CEPR

Deadline is February 25, 2026