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Do Weak Institutions Affect Recording of Terror Incidents? Evidence from the United States

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  • Goel Rajeev K.

    (Department of Economics, Illinois State University, Normal, IL 61790-4200, USA)

Abstract

Recording of crimes as terror incidents often falls in an unclear/fuzzy area due to overlaps with other crimes such as hate crimes, drug or mental health-related crimes, etc. This paper addresses the recording of crimes as terror crimes across US states, alternately considering both the prevalence and intensity of such crimes. Placing the explanatory variables under institutional, economic, social, political and enforcement categories, results show that weak institutions, ceteris paribus, undermine the recording of terror crimes. In other significant influences, states with greater ethnic homogeneity were less likely to have recorded terror crimes and more populous states had greater incidence (but not greater intensity) of recorded terror activity. Some implications for policy are discussed.

Suggested Citation

  • Goel Rajeev K., 2020. "Do Weak Institutions Affect Recording of Terror Incidents? Evidence from the United States," Peace Economics, Peace Science, and Public Policy, De Gruyter, vol. 26(1), pages 1-11, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:bpj:pepspp:v:26:y:2020:i:1:p:11:n:1
    DOI: 10.1515/peps-2018-0054
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    corruption; ethnic homogeneity; institutional quality; police; poverty; terrorism; United States;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • F52 - International Economics - - International Relations, National Security, and International Political Economy - - - National Security; Economic Nationalism
    • H56 - Public Economics - - National Government Expenditures and Related Policies - - - National Security and War
    • K42 - Law and Economics - - Legal Procedure, the Legal System, and Illegal Behavior - - - Illegal Behavior and the Enforcement of Law
    • K49 - Law and Economics - - Legal Procedure, the Legal System, and Illegal Behavior - - - Other

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