Economic, Security, and Political Determinants of Military Spending in NATO Countries

The article deals with an empirical investigation of the determinants of military expenditures of selected NATO countries. Economic, security, and political determinants were analysed by means of panel models. In order to analyse the economic environment as a determinant of military expenditure, the following variables were applied: Risk of Budget Balance, Risk of Foreign Debt, Risk of Inflation, Risk of GDP per Capita, Risk of GDP Growth, and a control variable, Risk of Current Account as a percentage of GDP. The following variables were employed for the security risk analysis: Terrorism, Cross Border Conflict, Ethnic Tension, and Foreign Pressures. A variable evaluating the Democratic Accountability and a control variable Government Stability were selected to analyse political risks. The results show serious inconsistencies in factors affecting the military expenditures of traditional and new NATO member countries.