Terrorism, Economic Development, and Political Openness

"Terrorism is one of the greatest challenges the world faces today, but we still do not have a clear idea of the relationships between it and economic development as well as between it and political openness. This book, which includes contributions by many leading authorities on the subject of terrorism, makes a major contribution to clarifying these relationships. It makes two important points: First, contrary to the view expressed by many, poverty is not directly responsible for terrorism. Second, greater political openness and better quality of government can inhibit the emergence of terrorist organizations as they are inversely associated with the emergence of such organizations. Clearly these relationships must be further investigated in some depth, and the book is a valuable guide to possible future research in this important area." - Michael D. Intriligator, University of California, Los Angeles

"An impressive roster of scholars offer a level of analysis in marked contrast to the continuing deluge of often superficial works on how to defeat terrorism. Along the way, they demolish some powerful myths--that terrorism is caused by individual poverty, or that terrorism is the outcome of irrational behavior--while raising fascinating new policy-relevant issues. Full of insights, my copy is heavily underlined. Bravo!" - Brian Jenkins, RAND Corporation

"Edited by two World Bank research economists, this collection analyzes the relationship between terrorism, economic development, and the political environment. Some papers explore the impact of terrorism on the economy, while others investigate the impact of economic, political, and social conditions on the incidence of terrorist behavior. Collectively, they make a compelling case that these impacts vary across countries in accordance with their levels of economic development and political openness." - Choice