Studies in Conflict and Terrorism · 2011 · 98 citations · 0 references
Social SciencesFinancePublic FinanceBenefit-cost AnalysisFundraisingTerrorism StudiesDefense ExpenditureMitigation FinancingState Sponsorship Of TerrorismTerrorist FinancingTerrorist OrganizationsTypologies Of TerrorismState Financing Of TerrorismTerrorist AttackTerrorist Financing By StatesTerrorist Financing TypologiesTerrorist Group FinancingTerrorist Group OperationsTerrorist Organization TypologiesTerrorist Sponsorship
Terrorism costs money. Although the costs of specific operations may be relatively inexpensive, terrorist organizations require much larger budgets in order to function. But how do terrorist groups acquire funding? What explains the variation in the particular sources used by different groups? This article develops a theory of terrorist financing that identifies criteria by which we can evaluate the different sources of terrorist funding, particularly in terms of their advantages and disadvantages to the terrorist group. These criteria are then applied across a typology of four primary types of terrorist financing: state sponsorship, illegal activity, legal activity, and popular support.