Remittances, Terrorism, and Democracy

"Remittances, Terrorism, and Democracy"

by Casey Crisman-Cox and Yohan Park (Texas A&M)

Abstract:

"What effects do migrant remittances have on domestic terrorism? Past work suggests that remittances increase resources for domestic opposition groups, enhance their organizational capabilities, and lead to more terrorist attacks. However, we argue that the effect of remittances depends on the political institutions within a country. In democratic states, remittances can help groups overcome the costs and barriers to legitimate politics, thereby reducing the allure of terrorism or other political violence. In authoritarian regimes, however, there are fewer opportunities for discontented opposition groups to engage in legitimate politics regardless of available resources, and so remittances lead to increases in violent political expression (i.e., more terrorism). Using data from 1971 and 2013 and a fixed-effects research design, we find that more remittances are associated with a decrease in domestic terrorism within democracies but an increase in domestic terrorism within autocracies."

Discussants:

Chelsea Estancona (University of South Carolina)

Brandon Prins (University of Tennessee)

Michael Findley (University of Texas at Austin)

OSPC Coordinator:

Cassy Dorff (Vanderbilt University).