Terrorism, Economic Development, and Political Openness

Review of the hardback: 'Terrorism is a global scourge that can often seem inexplicable. This superb volume, edited by Keefer and Loayza, turns the cold light of social science onto this hottest of topics. The book's essays teach us about the organization of terrorist units and the origins of terrorists and the costs of fighting terrorism. I can only hope that political decision-makers, from presidents to ordinary voters, read this book and use its wisdom to make better decisions about how to respond to terror.' Edward L. Glaeser, Harvard University Review of the hardback: '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 Review of the hardback: '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