TY  - JOUR
AU  - Benmelech, Efraim
AU  - Berrebi, Claude
AU  - Klor, Esteban F
TI  - Economic Conditions and the Quality of Suicide Terrorism
JF  - National Bureau of Economic Research Working Paper Series
VL  - No. 16320
PY  - 2010
Y2  - August 2010
DO  - 10.3386/w16320
UR  - http://www.nber.org/papers/w16320
L1  - http://www.nber.org/papers/w16320.pdf
N1  - Author contact info:
Efraim Benmelech
Kellogg School of Management
Northwestern University
2001 Sheridan Road
Evanston, IL 60208
Tel: 847/491-4462
Fax: 847/491-5719
E-Mail: e-benmelech@kellogg.northwestern.edu

Claude Berrebi
The Federmann School of
Public Policy and Government
Hebrew University
Mount Scopus
Jerusalem ISRAEL 91905
E-Mail: claude.berrebi@gmail.com

Esteban Klor
Dept. of Economics
Hebrew University
Mount Scopus
Jerusalem ISRAEL 91905
E-Mail: eklor@huji.ac.il
AB  - We analyze the link between economic conditions and the quality of suicide terrorism. While the existing empirical literature shows that poverty and economic conditions are not correlated with the quantity of terror, theory predicts that poverty and poor economic conditions may affect the quality of terror. Poor economic conditions may lead more able, better-educated individuals to participate in terror attacks, allowing terror organizations to send better-qualified terrorists to more complex, higher-impact, terror missions. Using the universe of Palestinian suicide terrorists against Israeli targets between the years 2000 and 2006 we provide evidence on the correlation between economic conditions, the characteristics of suicide terrorists and the targets they attack. High levels of unemployment enable terror organizations to recruit more educated, mature and experienced suicide terrorists who in turn attack more important Israeli targets.
ER  -