[Discussion] (no subject)

[Paksoy, Hb]

http://www.thenewrepublic.com/docprint.mhtml?i=3D20020624&s=3Dkrueger062=
402

Enough evidence is accumulating that it is fruitful to begin to =
conjecture
why participation in terrorism and political violence is apparently
unrelated--or positively related--to individuals' income and education. =
The
standard economic model of crime suggests that those with the lowest =
value
of time should engage in criminal activity. But we would hypothesize =
that in
most cases terrorism is less like property crime and more like a =
violent
form of political engagement. More-educated people from privileged
backgrounds are more likely to participate in politics, probably in =
part
because political involvement requires some minimum level of interest,
expertise, commitment to issues, and effort, all of which are more =
likely if
people are educated enough and prosperous enough to concern themselves =
with
more than economic subsistence. These factors could outweigh the effect =
of
opportunity cost on individuals' decisions to become involved in =
terrorism.=20

The demand side for terrorists must be considered as well as the supply
side. Terrorist organizations may prefer highly educated individuals =
over
less-educated ones, even for suicide bomb attacks. In addition, =
educated
middle-class or upper-class individuals are better suited to carry out =
acts
of international terrorism than are impoverished illiterates, because =
the
terrorists must fit into a foreign environment to be successful. This
consideration suggests that terrorists who threaten economically =
developed
countries will disproportionately be drawn from the ranks of the =
relatively
well off and highly educated.=20

On the whole, we must conclude that there is little reason to be =
optimistic
that a reduction in poverty or increase in educational attainment will =
lead
to a meaningful reduction in the amount of international terrorism =
without
other changes. Jessica Stern has observed that many madrasahs, or =
religious
schools, in Pakistan are funded by wealthy industrialists, and that =
those
schools deliberately educate students to become foot soldiers and elite
operatives in various extremist movements around the world. She further
reported that "most madrasahs offer only religious instruction, =
ignoring
math, science, and other secular subjects important for functioning in
modern society." These observations suggest that, in order to use =
education
as part of a strategy to reduce terrorism, the international community
should not limit itself to increasing years of schooling, but should
consider very carefully the content of education.=20

Alan B. Krueger and Jitka Maleckov=E1 are writing a history of hate =
crimes and
terrorism.

=20

Alan B. Krueger is Bendheim Professor of Economics and Public Affairs =
at
Princeton University. Jitka Maleckova is associate professor at the
Institute for Middle Eastern and African Studies at Charles University =
in
Prague.=20