Earthquakes, hurricanes, and terrorism: Do natural disasters incite terror?

Claude Berrebi, Jordan Ostwald

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

A novel and important issue in contemporary security policy is the impact of natural disasters on terrorism. Natural disasters can strain a society and its government, creating vulnerabilities which terrorist groups might exploit. Using a structured methodology and detailed data on terrorism, disasters, and other relevant controls for 167 countries between 1970 and 2007, we find a strong positive impact of disaster-related deaths on subsequent terrorism incidence and fatalities. Furthermore, the effects differ by disaster type and GDP per capita. The results consistently are significant and robust across a multitude of disaster and terrorism measures for a diverse set of model specifications.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)383-403
Number of pages21
JournalPublic Choice
Volume149
Issue number3
DOIs
StatePublished - Dec 2011

Keywords

  • Disaster
  • Panel data
  • Terrorism

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Economics and Econometrics
  • Sociology and Political Science

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