Nemeth, StephenLako, Thomas Mark Joseph2024-11-272024-11-272024-05https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14446/345695This study investigates the complex dynamics behind the violent recruitment of child soldiers in African conflicts, focusing on the impact of demographic pressures. Through the lens of Resource Mobilization Theory, I conduct quantitative analysis to understand how youth population density impacts the coerciveness of recruitment tactics used by rebel groups. I employ a negative binomial regression analysis on a country-year data spanning 9 African countries from 1984 to 2021. My findings indicate that while the proportion of youth is significant, socio-economic factors, including economic development, along with socio-political elements like liberal democracy, significantly shape recruitment tactics. These findings demonstrate the intricate interaction of demographic conditions and other factors in shaping recruitment tactics, underscoring the necessity for targeted interventions that tackle these underlying elements.application/pdfCopyright is held by the author who has granted the Oklahoma State University Library the non-exclusive right to share this material in its institutional repository. Contact Digital Library Services at lib-dls@okstate.edu or 405-744-9161 for the permission policy on the use, reproduction or distribution of this material.ThesisAfrican conflictschild soldierschildrenpopulationrecruitment tacticsyouth