Earthquakes, Hurricanes, and Terrorism: Do Natural Disasters Incite Terror?

Claude Berrebi, Jordan Ostwald
2011 Social Science Research Network  
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,
more » ... 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.
doi:10.2139/ssrn.1931864 fatcat:jnuibrttxncxbhgzby2n4a2z4i