Template-type: ReDif-Paper 1.0
Author-Name: Dietrich, Franz 
Author-workplace-name: METEOR
Title: Anti-terrorism politics and the risk of provoking
Abstract: A population''s level of terrorism depends on two factors: people''s preferences (would they like creating damage?) and the constraints under which people act (what damage could they create, and at what punishment?). Cause-related policies, e.g. improving social stability or education, aim at appeasing preferences, thereby reducing terrorism. Symptom-related policies, e.g. embargoes or wars, change the constraints (`deterrence''), but may have side effects on preferences (`provocation''); terrorism increases if provocation overweighs deterrence. I model preferences for damage as endogenous and policy-dependent. I argue that provocation by tough policies is easy to overlook, and show that provocation-neglect leads to toughness-exaggeration.
Keywords: microeconomics ; 
Series: Research Memoranda
Creation-Date: 2008
Number: 011
File-URL: http://edocs.ub.unimaas.nl/loader/file.asp?id=1309
File-Format: application/pdf
File-Size: 498266
Handle: RePEc:unm:umamet:2008011