This book develops a machine-learning framework for predicting economic growth. While machine learning itself is not a new idea, advances in computing technology combined with a dawning realization of its applicability to economic questions makes it a new tool for economists.

In spite of intense but traditional academic effort, a unique formal framework to study civil conflict has been elusive. This book uses predictive machine learning to highlight a framework to identify potential causes of civil conflict. Machine learning also improves the human ability to predict and therefore prevent conflict.