What do you think?
Rate this book
What Makes a Terrorist: Economics and the Roots of Terrorism
Many popular ideas about terrorists and why they seek to harm us are fueled by falsehoods and misinformation. Leading politicians and scholars have argued that poverty and lack of education breed terrorism, despite the wealth of evidence showing that most terrorists come from middle-class, and often college-educated, backgrounds. In What Makes a Terrorist, Alan Krueger argues that if we are to correctly assess the root causes of terrorism and successfully address the threat, we must think more like economists do.
Krueger is an influential economist who has applied rigorous statistical analysis to a range of tough issues, from the minimum wage and education to the occurrence of hate crimes. In this book, he explains why our tactics in the fight against terrorism must be based on more than anecdote and speculation. Krueger closely examines the factors that motivate individuals to participate in terrorism, drawing inferences from terrorists' own backgrounds and the economic, social, and political conditions in the societies from which they come. He describes which countries are the most likely breeding grounds for terrorists, and which ones are most likely to be their targets. Krueger addresses the economic and psychological consequences of terrorism. He puts the terrorist threat squarely into perspective, revealing how our nation's sizeable economy is diverse and resilient enough to withstand the comparatively limited effects of most terrorist strikes. And he calls on the media to be more responsible in reporting on terrorism.
What Makes a Terrorist brings needed clarity to one of the greatest challenges of our time.
Krueger is an influential economist who has applied rigorous statistical analysis to a range of tough issues, from the minimum wage and education to the occurrence of hate crimes. In this book, he explains why our tactics in the fight against terrorism must be based on more than anecdote and speculation. Krueger closely examines the factors that motivate individuals to participate in terrorism, drawing inferences from terrorists' own backgrounds and the economic, social, and political conditions in the societies from which they come. He describes which countries are the most likely breeding grounds for terrorists, and which ones are most likely to be their targets. Krueger addresses the economic and psychological consequences of terrorism. He puts the terrorist threat squarely into perspective, revealing how our nation's sizeable economy is diverse and resilient enough to withstand the comparatively limited effects of most terrorist strikes. And he calls on the media to be more responsible in reporting on terrorism.
What Makes a Terrorist brings needed clarity to one of the greatest challenges of our time.
192 pages, Hardcover
First published July 30, 2007
16 people are currently reading
517 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
April 9, 2010
If you have any interest in anything relating to current international events, please read this. Krueger's work presents important facts about one of the most significant issues facing us today, including a number of empirical details that you won't find elsewhere.
That being said, prepare to be slightly disappointed.
This book is a transcription -- with footnotes, etc., inserted for publication -- of a series of three lectures given by Krueger on the titular topic. The tone is, therefore, academic (read: dry; read: it would behoove one to sit through the dryness before taking it upon oneself to engage in debate about terrorism and/or what to do about it).
The main premise that Krueger makes good strides in debunking is the commonly held assumption that poor economic conditions create terrorists. Of chief concern to Krueger is the misconceived belief that the improvement of economic conditions alone will put a damper on the breeding of terrorists (with particular emphasis on statistics pertaining to the Middle East). Not only does he make a notable show of being the first reputable statistical analyst of any field to make public empirical research in that area; he also offers insightful commentary about how to actually improve the situation. In a world in which the U.S. State Department openly notes the fact that Palestinian kindergartners are taught in school that the desire to kill Jews is among the highest of character traits, yet the U.S. and many E.U. governments continue to do little more than promise increasing amounts of monetary support for the Palestinian leadership, Krueger's simple point that we may not be pursuing the most effective means of combating terrorism makes his voice of great importance. His insights into the incompetence of the State Department in analyzing statistics about terrorism is simultaneously refreshing and terrifying.
My only disappointment (which is significant) is that Krueger ends up moving notably away from the topic at hand. The third lecture in the series -- "What Does Terrorism Accomplish?" -- is intended as an analysis of the purpose of terrorist acts. This line of study is obviously connected to the question of what makes a terrorist, yet the lecture -- particularly in conjunction with the transcribed excerpts of Q&A sessions held after the lectures, presented in the book -- gets Krueger, this master of his field and presenter of timely, important, solid data, moving into the arena of the CNN guest commentator. He becomes distracted from the task at hand and departs from his strength, which is telling us why politicians keep getting it wrong and how they might improve their approach. Instead, he allows himself to make vague, whitewashed statements of popular appeal about what we all already know: Bush made mistakes after 9/11. In the end, a full third of what's printed here falls into my that's-why-I-don't-own-a-television category of content. The volume would have done well if someone had taken a sturdy pair of scissors to the lecture transcriptions.
But. Please don't let that deter you. The first two lectures present a solid, fact-based perspective that we need to hear and which should be open to discussion and debate. Please read them.
That being said, prepare to be slightly disappointed.
This book is a transcription -- with footnotes, etc., inserted for publication -- of a series of three lectures given by Krueger on the titular topic. The tone is, therefore, academic (read: dry; read: it would behoove one to sit through the dryness before taking it upon oneself to engage in debate about terrorism and/or what to do about it).
The main premise that Krueger makes good strides in debunking is the commonly held assumption that poor economic conditions create terrorists. Of chief concern to Krueger is the misconceived belief that the improvement of economic conditions alone will put a damper on the breeding of terrorists (with particular emphasis on statistics pertaining to the Middle East). Not only does he make a notable show of being the first reputable statistical analyst of any field to make public empirical research in that area; he also offers insightful commentary about how to actually improve the situation. In a world in which the U.S. State Department openly notes the fact that Palestinian kindergartners are taught in school that the desire to kill Jews is among the highest of character traits, yet the U.S. and many E.U. governments continue to do little more than promise increasing amounts of monetary support for the Palestinian leadership, Krueger's simple point that we may not be pursuing the most effective means of combating terrorism makes his voice of great importance. His insights into the incompetence of the State Department in analyzing statistics about terrorism is simultaneously refreshing and terrifying.
My only disappointment (which is significant) is that Krueger ends up moving notably away from the topic at hand. The third lecture in the series -- "What Does Terrorism Accomplish?" -- is intended as an analysis of the purpose of terrorist acts. This line of study is obviously connected to the question of what makes a terrorist, yet the lecture -- particularly in conjunction with the transcribed excerpts of Q&A sessions held after the lectures, presented in the book -- gets Krueger, this master of his field and presenter of timely, important, solid data, moving into the arena of the CNN guest commentator. He becomes distracted from the task at hand and departs from his strength, which is telling us why politicians keep getting it wrong and how they might improve their approach. Instead, he allows himself to make vague, whitewashed statements of popular appeal about what we all already know: Bush made mistakes after 9/11. In the end, a full third of what's printed here falls into my that's-why-I-don't-own-a-television category of content. The volume would have done well if someone had taken a sturdy pair of scissors to the lecture transcriptions.
But. Please don't let that deter you. The first two lectures present a solid, fact-based perspective that we need to hear and which should be open to discussion and debate. Please read them.
March 19, 2008
Concise and elegant, this will hopefully become a mainstay of the national security and peace-studies cannon.
Despite his evidence being necessarily a bit thin on sample size, Krueger builds a strong case for his unorthodox, and extremely relevant and powerful conclusions.
Fair warning, this book is based on an academic lecture, so the author pulls no punches with integrating college-level statistics concepts, but lacking a strong background should only marginally detract from his message.
Including many of his full charts and data values was a really critical component of the book to me, it's nice to see a mainstream book giving the actual data upon which it's based inline, as opposed to shoved in an appendix.
I personally consider the book a must read for anyone interested in the politics of terrorism, security, or individual rights. If I was only able to read one book this year on terrorism or national security, this would be it.
Despite his evidence being necessarily a bit thin on sample size, Krueger builds a strong case for his unorthodox, and extremely relevant and powerful conclusions.
Fair warning, this book is based on an academic lecture, so the author pulls no punches with integrating college-level statistics concepts, but lacking a strong background should only marginally detract from his message.
Including many of his full charts and data values was a really critical component of the book to me, it's nice to see a mainstream book giving the actual data upon which it's based inline, as opposed to shoved in an appendix.
I personally consider the book a must read for anyone interested in the politics of terrorism, security, or individual rights. If I was only able to read one book this year on terrorism or national security, this would be it.
December 10, 2025
Alan B. Krueger’s “What Makes a Terrorist,” is now a nearly 19 year old (released 2007) novel on the economic and cultural factors that go into the emergence of terrorism. Krueger defines terrorism in different forms and dives into what truly is and is not an act of terror. I found this a valuable point of reference despite how outdated some of the data and research is. This book was released before the Boston Bombing, the Paris attacks, the Vegas shooting, and so many other mass-casualty events, yet it still offered comprehensive insight into these types of attacks. Having taken economics classes recently, I can confidently say Krueger assessed the economic characteristics and preferences of terrorists accurately based on the data he presented.
The most overwhelming finding from his research was that economic instability (or being poor and uneducated, frankly) do not directly correlate to terroristic activity. Actually- the opposite is true, as Krueger found that the most extreme terrorists (from multiple different countries and backgrounds) come from somewhat stable and educated backgrounds. In fact, those who were willing to die for their causes were actually some of the most educated terrorists. It’s not my position to analyze what this means in terms of modern terror activity (thats why you should read the book), but I can say that there are more findings like this one which will surprise you.
There were many excerpts and data points from this book that I really enjoyed, but I won’t include them all. Some of the most intriguing discussion topics in this book included motivations for terrorism, the emergence of foreign fighters, and the role that our governments can play in terror. I must say, there were many parallels with Krueger’s recommendations on combatting terror and the events that have happened since 2007 (when the book was written). This book flowed very easily and was a quick, insightful, and impactful novel. Below are my favorite quotes:
“Many world leaders exploit the overly simple logic that poverty causes terrorism in order to further their own interests, to press for more international aid for their countries or institutions, or to deflect attention from policies that provoke grievances and extremism.” - page 50
“Incorrectly linking poverty to terrorism can be counterproductive to our efforts to reduce the former even as we confront the latter.” - page 52
“Lionel Robbins, who was John Maynard Keynes’s boss during the war, writes, “… Whatever may be the outcome of victory, whether it be a positive gain or a position perceptively worse than that from which you started, the alternative is annihilation, then, while the will to survive persists at all, no sacrifice seems to great.”” - page 140
“It is important that policy makers not focus on the last terrorist threat but instead look forward. We must be flexible enough to respond to new types of threats.” - page 142
This was a great read and investment of time for how much knowledge I gained. Highly recommended despite it being almost 19 years old.
The most overwhelming finding from his research was that economic instability (or being poor and uneducated, frankly) do not directly correlate to terroristic activity. Actually- the opposite is true, as Krueger found that the most extreme terrorists (from multiple different countries and backgrounds) come from somewhat stable and educated backgrounds. In fact, those who were willing to die for their causes were actually some of the most educated terrorists. It’s not my position to analyze what this means in terms of modern terror activity (thats why you should read the book), but I can say that there are more findings like this one which will surprise you.
There were many excerpts and data points from this book that I really enjoyed, but I won’t include them all. Some of the most intriguing discussion topics in this book included motivations for terrorism, the emergence of foreign fighters, and the role that our governments can play in terror. I must say, there were many parallels with Krueger’s recommendations on combatting terror and the events that have happened since 2007 (when the book was written). This book flowed very easily and was a quick, insightful, and impactful novel. Below are my favorite quotes:
“Many world leaders exploit the overly simple logic that poverty causes terrorism in order to further their own interests, to press for more international aid for their countries or institutions, or to deflect attention from policies that provoke grievances and extremism.” - page 50
“Incorrectly linking poverty to terrorism can be counterproductive to our efforts to reduce the former even as we confront the latter.” - page 52
“Lionel Robbins, who was John Maynard Keynes’s boss during the war, writes, “… Whatever may be the outcome of victory, whether it be a positive gain or a position perceptively worse than that from which you started, the alternative is annihilation, then, while the will to survive persists at all, no sacrifice seems to great.”” - page 140
“It is important that policy makers not focus on the last terrorist threat but instead look forward. We must be flexible enough to respond to new types of threats.” - page 142
This was a great read and investment of time for how much knowledge I gained. Highly recommended despite it being almost 19 years old.
February 1, 2014
At a series of lectures given at the London School of Economics Alan B. Krueger attempted to systematically explain the causes and effects of terrorism using statistics drawn from multiple databases, some governmental, and some drawn from the previous work of other scholars. After 9/11 scholars, national leaders and terrorism experts settled upon the seemingly obvious assumption that terrorism was primarily driven by low levels of education and poverty, both of which fostered despair, resentment, and fanaticism. The prevailing view was that if nations could tackle poverty and ignorance, terrorism could also be eradicated. Even though this view was widely propagated throughout academia and the media, many experts had already shown that terrorists actually tended to come from middle and upper middle class families and that they also tended to have university educations. Krueger’s lectures are an attempt to more conclusively demonstrate the false relationship between terrorism, lack of education and poverty. By dispelling this myth, policymakers have an opportunity to confront terrorists’ geopolitical grievances, such as American support for autocratic regimes, the American military presence in Iraq and unqualified American support for Israel.
The first chapter employs research from the Pew Global Attitudes Project that supports the idea that educated people with good jobs are very likely to support terrorism. Research conducted by Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research is used to examine terrorism at the individual level in combination with sophisticated statistical analysis to isolate common characteristics of individuals who join terrorist organizations and commit acts of terrorism. Again, the well-educated with good jobs tend to support terrorism the most. Chapter two “contains a quantitative analysis of the national origins of foreign fighters captured in Iraq” drawn from the United States State Department report Patterns of Global Terrorism. Rather than defining the characteristics of terrorists, Krueger instead illustrates what they are not: poor, uneducated, illiterate. Foreign fighters in Iraq tend to come from countries with low civil liberty and political rights index scores. Country of origin economic circumstances are not correlated to foreign terrorists motives for participating in the Iraqi insurgency. The third chapter serves as a literature review on the psychological, economic and political impact of terrorism, along with commentary on the media’s role in propagating fear of terrorism. Krueger concludes that American’s fear of terrorism plays an outsized role in our national psyche, causing us to expend a disproportional amount of resources to protect against an event that is unlikely to occur. The potential to erode civil liberties in the name of internal security should not be ignored. Western policy-makers need to be realistic about the potential of another major terrorist attack and be prepared, but must also wisely measure the costs of trying to cover every contingency.
Obviously terrorists and terrorist organizations excel at secrecy and this makes investigating the characteristics of individuals who participate in terrorist acts nearly impossible. One of the primary goals of chapter two was to show just how little the United States government really knows about terrorists. Because of the dearth of information on terrorists and their motives, the author chose to limit his examination to individual data gleaned from the State Department’s Patterns of Global Terrorism. The period covered runs from 1997 to 2003. This extremely limited time frame does not allow the author to make historical comparisons. For example, Zionists terrorists of the 1930’s, terrorists from Northern Ireland in the 1970’s and the 1980’s, and German and Italian terrorists from the 1970’s are excluded from the study. Instead Krueger seems to have focused his research on terrorists from the Middle East. Terrorists from this region may tend to be better educated and to have once held good jobs, but one is left wondering if these tendencies are particular to the author’s sample. Nevertheless, Krueger’s limited data set does allow him to generalize that lack of education and poverty do not play a role in terrorists’ motives, or at least not in the manner that leaders and experts expect.
Because the book is based upon a series of lectures, its organization is a bit unorthodox. For example, chapter three examines the political, economic and psychological costs of terrorism, but is only marginally related to the title “What Makes A Terrorist.” Using data collected from surveys conducted by other organizations, in chapter one Krueger rehashes the results and examines the attitudes of everyday people towards terrorism and provides some insight as to what causes an average person to join a terrorist organization. He is not, unfortunately, able provide any insight into terrorists’ motives. To be fair, terrorists are not in the business of disclosing the psychological profiles of their members. Chapter two isolates several variables that have traditionally been linked with the terrorist mindset (GDP of home country, literacy rate, religion) and concludes that none of them are causes of terrorism. Moreover, most terrorism is local and not international. This leads the reader to question whether terrorists who commit terrorist acts in foreign nations have different motives than those who commit them locally. Krueger concludes that foreign, or Western, targets are often chosen because terrorists believe that they are more influential, but he does explain how attacking influential, Western nations will affect change in the origin nation. Perhaps international terrorists are responding to Western foreign policy and other geopolitical grievances. It is difficult know for certain. It makes sense, then, to investigate terrorist motives indirectly by examining geo-socio-demographic data as Krueger has done. Krueger has really shown us what does not motivate or characterize a terrorist.
Despite limited biographical information Krueger’s data analysis successfully shows that poverty and lack of education really do not inspire terrorists to become terrorists, or at least not the contemporary terrorists that he studied. It is unfortunate that Krueger did not clarify why international terrorists tend to attack richer, democratic nations in the hope of spurring change in their home countries. If nearly ninety percent of terrorists attacks are local and are a reaction to local conditions and a lack of civil liberties, why do terrorists think that attacking another nation will have an effect at home? Krueger asserts that terrorism really “should be viewed more as a violent political act than as a response to economic conditions,”and this is no doubt true. However, more research needs to be done to understand how a terrorist from Syria is motivated to become an international terrorist. Krueger makes a compelling argument that if policymakers are to craft strategies to root out terrorism, they must first commit to collecting more detailed information on those who engage in terrorist acts. They must also seek ways to evaluate whether currents strategies are working or evaluate if they are exacerbating the problem. By demystifying terrorism and by understanding its root causes, perhaps Western leaders will be able to craft more effective policies that do not antagonize and inflame resentment as much as they do to support societies committed to instituting basic civil liberties.
The first chapter employs research from the Pew Global Attitudes Project that supports the idea that educated people with good jobs are very likely to support terrorism. Research conducted by Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research is used to examine terrorism at the individual level in combination with sophisticated statistical analysis to isolate common characteristics of individuals who join terrorist organizations and commit acts of terrorism. Again, the well-educated with good jobs tend to support terrorism the most. Chapter two “contains a quantitative analysis of the national origins of foreign fighters captured in Iraq” drawn from the United States State Department report Patterns of Global Terrorism. Rather than defining the characteristics of terrorists, Krueger instead illustrates what they are not: poor, uneducated, illiterate. Foreign fighters in Iraq tend to come from countries with low civil liberty and political rights index scores. Country of origin economic circumstances are not correlated to foreign terrorists motives for participating in the Iraqi insurgency. The third chapter serves as a literature review on the psychological, economic and political impact of terrorism, along with commentary on the media’s role in propagating fear of terrorism. Krueger concludes that American’s fear of terrorism plays an outsized role in our national psyche, causing us to expend a disproportional amount of resources to protect against an event that is unlikely to occur. The potential to erode civil liberties in the name of internal security should not be ignored. Western policy-makers need to be realistic about the potential of another major terrorist attack and be prepared, but must also wisely measure the costs of trying to cover every contingency.
Obviously terrorists and terrorist organizations excel at secrecy and this makes investigating the characteristics of individuals who participate in terrorist acts nearly impossible. One of the primary goals of chapter two was to show just how little the United States government really knows about terrorists. Because of the dearth of information on terrorists and their motives, the author chose to limit his examination to individual data gleaned from the State Department’s Patterns of Global Terrorism. The period covered runs from 1997 to 2003. This extremely limited time frame does not allow the author to make historical comparisons. For example, Zionists terrorists of the 1930’s, terrorists from Northern Ireland in the 1970’s and the 1980’s, and German and Italian terrorists from the 1970’s are excluded from the study. Instead Krueger seems to have focused his research on terrorists from the Middle East. Terrorists from this region may tend to be better educated and to have once held good jobs, but one is left wondering if these tendencies are particular to the author’s sample. Nevertheless, Krueger’s limited data set does allow him to generalize that lack of education and poverty do not play a role in terrorists’ motives, or at least not in the manner that leaders and experts expect.
Because the book is based upon a series of lectures, its organization is a bit unorthodox. For example, chapter three examines the political, economic and psychological costs of terrorism, but is only marginally related to the title “What Makes A Terrorist.” Using data collected from surveys conducted by other organizations, in chapter one Krueger rehashes the results and examines the attitudes of everyday people towards terrorism and provides some insight as to what causes an average person to join a terrorist organization. He is not, unfortunately, able provide any insight into terrorists’ motives. To be fair, terrorists are not in the business of disclosing the psychological profiles of their members. Chapter two isolates several variables that have traditionally been linked with the terrorist mindset (GDP of home country, literacy rate, religion) and concludes that none of them are causes of terrorism. Moreover, most terrorism is local and not international. This leads the reader to question whether terrorists who commit terrorist acts in foreign nations have different motives than those who commit them locally. Krueger concludes that foreign, or Western, targets are often chosen because terrorists believe that they are more influential, but he does explain how attacking influential, Western nations will affect change in the origin nation. Perhaps international terrorists are responding to Western foreign policy and other geopolitical grievances. It is difficult know for certain. It makes sense, then, to investigate terrorist motives indirectly by examining geo-socio-demographic data as Krueger has done. Krueger has really shown us what does not motivate or characterize a terrorist.
Despite limited biographical information Krueger’s data analysis successfully shows that poverty and lack of education really do not inspire terrorists to become terrorists, or at least not the contemporary terrorists that he studied. It is unfortunate that Krueger did not clarify why international terrorists tend to attack richer, democratic nations in the hope of spurring change in their home countries. If nearly ninety percent of terrorists attacks are local and are a reaction to local conditions and a lack of civil liberties, why do terrorists think that attacking another nation will have an effect at home? Krueger asserts that terrorism really “should be viewed more as a violent political act than as a response to economic conditions,”and this is no doubt true. However, more research needs to be done to understand how a terrorist from Syria is motivated to become an international terrorist. Krueger makes a compelling argument that if policymakers are to craft strategies to root out terrorism, they must first commit to collecting more detailed information on those who engage in terrorist acts. They must also seek ways to evaluate whether currents strategies are working or evaluate if they are exacerbating the problem. By demystifying terrorism and by understanding its root causes, perhaps Western leaders will be able to craft more effective policies that do not antagonize and inflame resentment as much as they do to support societies committed to instituting basic civil liberties.
March 12, 2016
Using the best available data, Krueger convincingly debunks the myth that terrorism is mainly caused by poverty, income inequality, and a lack of education. In fact the opposite is true.
Most terrorists are middle to upper middle class, and many are radicalised at university. The former point highlights the fact that throwing money at the problem may not be wise and the latter point highlights the need to focus on the specific kinds of education people are getting. Some types of education lead more to reason and tolerance, whereas others lead to radicalism and terrorism.
Poor and uneducated people tend not to hold strong opinions, and therefore are particularly unlikely to become politicised and radicalised.
Krueger also gives us an idea of what is more tightly correlated to terrorism: mainly a lack of liberty, but also a lack of democracy. And he shows that military occupation is not a good idea if you want to avoid being the target-country of terrorist attacks.
Most terrorists are middle to upper middle class, and many are radicalised at university. The former point highlights the fact that throwing money at the problem may not be wise and the latter point highlights the need to focus on the specific kinds of education people are getting. Some types of education lead more to reason and tolerance, whereas others lead to radicalism and terrorism.
Poor and uneducated people tend not to hold strong opinions, and therefore are particularly unlikely to become politicised and radicalised.
Krueger also gives us an idea of what is more tightly correlated to terrorism: mainly a lack of liberty, but also a lack of democracy. And he shows that military occupation is not a good idea if you want to avoid being the target-country of terrorist attacks.
Read
May 5, 2010Professor Audrey Kurth Cronin has chosen to discuss
What Makes a Terrorist: Economics and the Roots of Terrorism
by Alan B Krueger on FiveBooks as one of the top five on her subject - Terrorism, saying that:
“…Alan Krueger’s book is written to be very understandable but it is also full of statistics and good hard data about what motivates and makes terrorists, and shoots down the received wisdom of many pundits. For example, he shows that neither poverty nor lack of education causes terrorism. …”
The full interview is available here: http://fivebooks.com/interviews/audre...
“…Alan Krueger’s book is written to be very understandable but it is also full of statistics and good hard data about what motivates and makes terrorists, and shoots down the received wisdom of many pundits. For example, he shows that neither poverty nor lack of education causes terrorism. …”
The full interview is available here: http://fivebooks.com/interviews/audre...
December 2, 2018
A bit dated but, strong argument that poverty is not a driver of terrorism. In Guerrilla Warfare, Mao Tse Tung offers this assessment which I find relevant to the author's argument.
"Such a belief reveals lack of comprehension of the relationship that should exist between the people and the troops[in this case terrorists]. The former may be likened to water the latter to the fish who inhabit it. How may it be said that these two cannot exist together?"
Poverty doesn't cause terrorism but, it does enable it.
"Such a belief reveals lack of comprehension of the relationship that should exist between the people and the troops[in this case terrorists]. The former may be likened to water the latter to the fish who inhabit it. How may it be said that these two cannot exist together?"
Poverty doesn't cause terrorism but, it does enable it.
March 10, 2010
Anytime a book can destroy anecdotal evidence in such a focused manner it should be suggested public policy reading. Krueger makes me wonder what other policy issues aren't being addressed with evidence.
November 6, 2019
In short, not the lack of education or poverty. Also, not really about religion. Krueger argued for a bit that the lack of civil liberties was a cause of terrorism.
From the Q&A:
Q: I think Indonesia presents an interesting case worth studying. When the Asian economic miracle was going full steam, Indonesia had a kind of Islam which would be called cultural Islam, rather like the situation in Turkey. You would be hard pressed to find fundamentalism in Indonesia before, say, 1994. But when the Asian economic miracle occurred, most of the wealthy left the country, the education system collapsed, and the madrasahs that teach extremist Islam moved in from Yemen. From 1995 onward, Indonesia experienced a rise in fundamentalism. This would support your argument that it is the content of education that is so important. I think Indonesia would be an ideal research vehicle for you because it provides "before" and "after" cases.
A: I appreciate the suggestion. In the second lecture I discuss the world more generally. I could have mentioned earlier that the Palestinians are particularly well educated, but that much of their education tends to be skewed toward religious studies (e.g., Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, 2002). This, I think, emphasizes that it is the content of education that is relevant.
From the Q&A:
Q: I think Indonesia presents an interesting case worth studying. When the Asian economic miracle was going full steam, Indonesia had a kind of Islam which would be called cultural Islam, rather like the situation in Turkey. You would be hard pressed to find fundamentalism in Indonesia before, say, 1994. But when the Asian economic miracle occurred, most of the wealthy left the country, the education system collapsed, and the madrasahs that teach extremist Islam moved in from Yemen. From 1995 onward, Indonesia experienced a rise in fundamentalism. This would support your argument that it is the content of education that is so important. I think Indonesia would be an ideal research vehicle for you because it provides "before" and "after" cases.
A: I appreciate the suggestion. In the second lecture I discuss the world more generally. I could have mentioned earlier that the Palestinians are particularly well educated, but that much of their education tends to be skewed toward religious studies (e.g., Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, 2002). This, I think, emphasizes that it is the content of education that is relevant.
March 21, 2019
What a truly fascinating look at the economics behind terrorism.
July 18, 2019
Economics! Social science! YAy!
December 17, 2020
Very interesting book
I had to do a narrative analysis of this book for my criminal justice class and I can say I’ve learned a lot about domestic and international terrorism
I had to do a narrative analysis of this book for my criminal justice class and I can say I’ve learned a lot about domestic and international terrorism
March 3, 2023
Well researched and covering a topic you likely haven't explored before.
May 12, 2023
Interesting research work on terrorism and it's connection with poverty and illiteracy
December 25, 2013
Interesting book and delivers on what the title promises, sort of. He makes a compelling argument however the data presented seems very limited. The information which he bases the studies on are sometimes not verifiable or possibly biased. The author acknowledges these shortcomings and the reader understands that it is in no way the author's fault, there's just not good information out there. Nevertheless, the book provides some insight into why people would pursuit the path of terrorism. I'd love to see a second edition of this book updated with data up to 2012-2013 (5 years after this book was published)
March 24, 2016
Last time the book has been updated was in 2008. Thus, it's not the literature for those willing to get more aware of the current situation going on around terrorist organizations with ISIS as its central focus. Despite of this, the book is a good start to get the fundamentals of what terrorism is, what motivates people to get involved in it, what are the causes of terrorism, and what are the possible ways of how to, if not completely fight, but at least eliminate the effect it brings into the civil World life. All results are derived from the analysis of empirically collected data. Populism or "books cooking" are avoided.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 2, 2008
This quick read consists of a series of lectures delivered by an economist in England shortly after the London bombings of 2005. The basic point is that there is virtually no statistical evidence of a conection between terrorism and lack of education or economic prosperity. Most data suggests that terrorists come from the wealthier and higher educated strata of any given society. Krieger also suggests that terrorism is often the result of frustration with limited civil rights and liberties and the attacks on the west can be seen as an outcry for recognition more than a "culture war."
October 27, 2008
This book, written by an economist, looks at the characteristics of people who become terrorists, as well as the outcomes of using terrorism as a tactic. The book is heavy on quantitative analysis, but it is written in simple prose that is accessible to the non-expert. My only complaint about the book is that the author focuses too much on explaining why material deprivation doesn't cause terrorism, and he spends less time explaining exactly what does cause terrorism.
November 29, 2015
Interesting, quick read. Krueger summarizes his research on the causes of politically motivated violence. It debunks some familiar assumptions about the sources of terrorism. The writing style is accessible. He writes this book so you can engage with the econometrics or breeze through it and get to his summary conclusions. I don't think you need a lot of Econ to understand most of the material.
Read
August 28, 2007Read my review at:
http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0828/p1...
http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0828/p1...
December 25, 2007
My full review is in the Brooklyn Rail.
July 30, 2011
I liked the book. It had an analysis of terrorism from a different view with the evidence to support it.
July 6, 2024
A quick read. Makes an argument that terrorism is unrelated to educational attainment using econometric techniques.
May 5, 2017
Cleared some pre-conceived notions.
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews