Pirates v economists

摘要

Ships navigating the lawless seas of the Gulf of Aden must keep a constant lookout for Somali pirates. The roots of Somalia's maritime banditry lie in its desperately poor coastal villages, where the choice between fishing and piracy is an easy one for many. But whereas plenty of attention has been given to pirates' own economic motives, less has been paid to the question of why influential local clans put up with the marauders in their midst. New research by economists at the University of Oxford and King's College London sheds some light on that issue-and suggests a way in which the pirates could be run aground for good.