NCJ Number
159684
Journal
Low Intensity Conflict and Law Enforcement Volume: 1 Issue: 2 Dated: (Autumn 1992) Pages: 163-182
Date Published
1992
Length
20 pages
Annotation
The contagion model for the spread of terrorism was tested using data from the ATIC I and II data sets on political terrorism in Canada from 1960-85.
Abstract
The contagion model suggests that current terrorist incidents encourage future terrorism through a process of imitation or diffusion, giving rise to a dynamic analogous to that observed in the spread of infectious diseases. The media, through catharsis and precipitation, are usually implicated in this process. The database used in this research included almost 500 separate events that are coded on 40 variables. Approximately 85 percent of the events were domestic terrorism, and 15 percent were international/transnational. The data were analyzed through a series of regression analyses. Results revealed that although the descriptive data support the conclusion that domestic terrorism may be a causal antecedent for acts of international terrorism in Canada, the inferential statistical results were inconclusive. Further research is recommended. Figures, methodological appendix, and 49 references