Violence, access, and competition in the market for protection

► Violence betwixt and amongst "elites" and "peasants" is a core human problem. ► We investigate a market for protection with varying peasant access to elites. ► Does greater access for peasants to elites lead to violence amongst the elites? ► Elites do not collude to avoid violence amongst each other. ► Enabling greater access benefits peasants at the cost of violence among elites.