No.30 The Impact of Social-Economic Factors in the Rise of Violent Extremism―An Empirical Study in African Countries

  • #Discussion Papers

What roles do social-economic factors play in the process of violent extremism (hereafter VE)? Concerning the drivers of VE, much of the knowledge is based on the experience of countries in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), as well as South Asia. By contrast, less is known about the factors that contribute to VE in sub-Saharan Africa or elsewhere in the world. This research draws on detailed data of violent events in Africa covering 1997 to 2021 and explores the relationship between social-economic factors and VE while controlling for other factors such as political stability. The results provide convincing evidence that unemployment, poor social-economic conditions, and weak governance are strongly associated with VE.


Keywords: Violent extremism, Africa, Economic factors, Unemployment, Political stability

Authors
Bin Ni
Date of issuance
November 2024
Language
English
Number of pages
24
Related areas
  • #Africa
Topics
  • #Politics and Governance
  • #Peace-Building
Research area
Peacebuilding and Humanitarian Support
Research project

Download