Summary: What Makes a Terrorist E-Book

BusinessNews Publishing

• Herausgeber: Political Book Summaries
• Kategorie: Geisteswissenschaft
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 17

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2017

Beschreibung

The must-read summary of Alan B. Krueger's book: “What Makes a Terrorist: Economics and the Roots of Terrorism”.

This complete summary of "What Makes a Terrorist" by Alan B. Krueger, a prominent American economist, presents his argument that terrorism should be analyzed in economic terms in order to correctly assess its root causes and address the threat. He explains that, contrary to popular belief, most terrorists come from middle class backgrounds and are often university-educated.

Added-value of this summary:
• Save time
• Understand the root causes of terrorism
• Expand your knowledge of sociology and politics

To learn more, read "What Makes a Terrorist" and discover the economist's approach to terrorism, which may help us to better address the threat it poses.

Leseprobe

Book Presentation: What Makes a Terrorist by Alan B. Krueger

Book Abstract

What Makes a Terrorist confronts the myth that terrorist attacks are fueled by poverty and/or lack of education. Krueger provides statistical analysis backing up the fact that most terrorists come from middle-class and often college-educated backgrounds. Because we can only address the threat once we have correctly assessed the root causes of terrorism, Krueger provides an overview of terrorism by examining characteristics of individuals who become terrorists, the economic and political conditions from which terrorism emerges, and the economic, psychological, and political consequences of terrorism.

About the Author

Alan B. Krueger is the Bendheim Professor of Economics and Public Policy at Princeton University and an advisor to the National Counterterrorism Center. He is the co-author of Inequality in America: What Role For Human Capital Policies and Myth and Measurement: The New Economics of the Minimum Wage.

Summary of What Makes a Terrorist (Alan B. Krueger)

Introduction

In the wake of the terrorist attacks of 9/11, everyone from policy makers to scholars to ordinary citizens asked what would make someone give up his life to wreak mass destruction on a foreign land – in short, what makes a terrorist? Many people theorize that economic deprivation and a lack of education cause people to adopt extremist views and turn to terrorism. The alleged connection between these factors continues to resonate with top government officials and policy leaders.

Despite the obvious appeal of this theory, the evidence is nearly unanimous in rejecting either material deprivation or inadequate education as an important cause of support for terrorism or of participation in terrorist activities. Half the world’s population lives on $2.00 a day or less and more than one billion people have only a primary-level school education or less. If poverty and inadequate education were causes of terrorism, the world would be teeming with terrorists. In actuality, numerous academic and government studies find that terrorists tend to be drawn from well-educated, middle class, or high-income families.