Whilst most books look at the political response to terror, this unique book takes an economic approach and includes contributions from Todd Sandler, Sanjay Jain, Andrew Chen, Valpy Fitzgerald and Dennis Mueller. Research in the field of terrorism has increased dramatically since 9/11, responding to the sudden need by policy makers, journalists and the general public to understand terrorism. A unique feature of this field of research is that it expands beyond typical academic categories such as macroeconomics, development studies, international relations or peace science, instead, a range of analysts have applied their various skills of different sub-disciplines to a common theme since 9/11, providing inter-disciplinary insights characterized by a clear focus.

Brutality is the defining characteristic of terrorism. It is despairing to learn that this brutality is the outcome of purposeful, rational, human behaviour. In this purposefulness, however, there lies the key to the interpretation, explanation and understanding of terrorist behaviour. Ultimately, it is in this purposefulness that we shall also find the key to overcoming terrorism. Economic analysis highlights this purposefulness, this rationality, and in doing so provides a different perspective from which to approach the threat of terrorism and the task of pre-empting and pursuing its perpetrators. This book develops this economic perspective within a series of important contexts, each characterised by particular types of terrorist behaviour, choices and strategies. The Economics of Terrorism brings new insights on how to deal with such challenges as the terrorist group’s choice of attack method and target location, terrorist financing and ‘copycat’ behaviour.

National security is a basic responsibility of national governments, but it is also intangible. What can economic analysis contribute? Benefit-cost analysis has rarely been applied because of the ambiguous and commons nature of the benefits. Our group at the University of Southern California's Center for Risk and Economic Analysis of Terrorism (CREATE) has worked to elaborate and apply economic impact analysis to describe the expected losses from various hypothetical terrorist attacks. Our innovation has been to add a spatial dimension to operational inter-industry models.

The Political Economy of Terrorism presents a widely accessible political economy approach to the study of terrorism. It applies economic methodology – theoretical and empirical – combined with political analysis and realities to the study of domestic and transnational terrorism. In so doing, the book provides both a qualitative and quantitative investigation of terrorism in a balanced up-to-date presentation that informs students, policy makers, researchers and the general reader of the current state of knowledge. Included are historical aspects, a discussion of watershed events, the rise of modern-day terrorism, examination of current trends, the dilemma of liberal democracies, evaluation of counterterrorism, analysis of hostage incidents and much more. The new edition expands coverage of every chapter, adds a new chapter on terrorist network structures and organization, accounts for changes in the Department of Homeland Security and the USA Patriot Act and insurance against terrorism. Rational-actor models of terrorist and government behavior and game-theoretic analysis are presented for readers with no prior theoretical training. Where relevant, the authors display graphs using data from International Terrorism: Attributes of Terrorist Events (ITERATE), the Global Terrorism Database (GTD), and other public-access data sets.

This volume raises many important questions and is a valuable addition to the empirical literature on the economics of terrorism. Individuals charged with thinking about the design of appropriate counterterrorism and disaster management strategies will want to read this book. Highly recommended. J.H. Turek, Choice This landmark book covers a range of issues concerning the consequences of terrorist attacks. Beginning with a discussion of new policies and strategies, it then delves into specific areas of concern, modeling a range of possible scenarios and ways to mitigate or pre-empt damages. Top researchers from around the world discuss issues such as: airport security, urban terrorism, Coast Guard operations, and the need to balance freedoms with security. New policies for deterring terrorism are also proposed. Later chapters model the economic impacts of terrorist attacks on the food industry, major US ports, and US theme parks. The final chapters provide an in-depth look at the effects of interruptions to electricity supply and how to improve resiliency. Using specific locations and situations, the volume details in a concrete way the long and short-term economic effects of possible future attacks. The cutting-edge research and provocative conclusions make this a must-read for policymakers, public sector economists, urban planners, aviation officials, insurance industry analysts and those charged with disaster management.

These papers enhance our understanding of numerous aspects of the terrorism problem. Andrew Haughwout, Papers in Regional Science The Economic Impact of Terrorist Attacks exposes the reader to a healthy sampling of the current approaches that researchers have taken in addressing a challenging set of economic problems. Jared C. Carbone, Journal of Regional Science Knowledgeably compiled and expertly co-edited by the team of Harry W. Richardson, Peter Gordon and James E. Moore II, The Economic Impacts of Terrorist Attacks is a groundbreaking study of the extensive damage done to the American economy as a result of terrorism with a particular focus on the attacks in 2001. . . very highly recommended to students of politics, economics, and the present war on terrorism . The Midwest Book Review Focussing on the economics of terrorism in the post 9/11 world, this book brings together original research based on the collaborative efforts of leading economists and planners. The authoritative and expert contributors use a variety of methodological approaches and apply them to different types of terrorist attacks (on airports, highways, seaports, electric power infrastructure, for example). They also draw analogies between man-made and natural disasters. The results suggest that these issues are extremely complex and that the economic costs of some types of attack are huge, but that increased understanding and estimation can be used to justify resource investments in prevention, mitigation and response. A primary aim of the book is to contribute to developing more cost-effective anti-terrorist policies. Scholars and researchers in the fields of transportation, public sector economics, urban planning, disaster prevention, mitigation and management, and engineers will find The Economic Impacts of Terrorist Attacks a major contribution to a new and rapidly expanding research area.