There are important controversies over the dynamics of terrorism which have
not yet been formally addressed in quantitative social research. We suggest a
class of stochastic models for social contagion which may help to shed light on
these controversies. Empirical estimates of model parameters were obtained
from data on international terrorism in 16 countries over 1968-78. We find some
evidence suggesting that the tendency of acts of terrorism to incite further
violence is more easily reversed in less democratic, poorer, and less well-
educated societies. This suggests that the reversal of a terrorism ‘epidemic’ is more
likely under conditions facilitating repression rather than reform and that more
open societies face particular difficulties in responding to terrorism effectively.
Author(s): Lawrence C. Hamilton and James D. Hamilton
Source: International Studies Quarterly, Mar., 1983, Vol. 27, No. 1 (Mar. 1983), pp. 39-
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Published by: Wiley on behalf of The International Studies Association
Stable URL: https://www.jstor.org/stable/2600618