IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/exs/wpaper/21-089.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

Democracy and Terrorism in Africa

Author

Listed:
  • Chimere O. Iheonu

    (Abuja, Nigeria)

  • Simplice A. Asongu

    (Yaoundé, Cameroon)

  • Shedrach A. Agbutun

    (Nsukka, Nigeria)

  • Innocent A. Ifelunini

    (Nsukka, Nigeria)

Abstract

This study adds to the body of existing literature on the relationship between democracy and terrorism by investigating the impact of democracy on terrorism in 26 African countries. The study utilises a robust measure of democracy known as the varieties of democracy index which has been observed in literature to be more superior to conventional measures of democracy. A composite index of terrorism was derived from the number of terrorism incidents, the number of terrorist fatalities, and the number of terrorist injuries utilising the principal component analysis. The study utilises a Fixed Effects regression with Driscoll and Kraay standard errors and account for simultaneity utilising the first lags of the regressors as instruments. The result reveals an inverted U-shaped relationship between democracy and terrorism in the selected African countries. In particular, early stages of democracy are associated with higher levels of terrorism while later stages of democracy are associated with lower levels of terrorism. The study provides recommendations based on these findings.

Suggested Citation

  • Chimere O. Iheonu & Simplice A. Asongu & Shedrach A. Agbutun & Innocent A. Ifelunini, 2021. "Democracy and Terrorism in Africa," Working Papers 21/089, European Xtramile Centre of African Studies (EXCAS).
    • Handle: RePEc:exs:wpaper:21/089
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://publications.excas.org/RePEc/exs/exs-wpaper/Democracy-and-Terrorism-in-Africa.pdf
    File Function: Revised version, 2021
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    Other versions of this item:

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Subhayu Bandyopadhyay & Javed Younas, 2014. "Terrorism: A Threat to Foreign Direct Investment," The Regional Economist, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, October.
    2. Chimere O. Iheonu & Kingsley O. Odo & Davidmac O. Ekeocha, 2020. "Estimating the effect of Democracy, Governance and Militarisation on Peace in Africa," Working Papers of the African Governance and Development Institute. 20/046, African Governance and Development Institute..
    3. Montinola, Gabriella R. & Jackman, Robert W., 2002. "Sources of Corruption: A Cross-Country Study," British Journal of Political Science, Cambridge University Press, vol. 32(1), pages 147-170, January.
    4. Simplice A. Asongu & Chimere O. Iheonu & Kingsley O. Odo, 2019. "The Conditional Relationship between Renewable Energy and Environmental Quality in Sub-Saharan Africa," Working Papers of the African Governance and Development Institute. 19/074, African Governance and Development Institute..
    5. Badi H. Baltagi & Chihwa Kao & Bin Peng, 2016. "Testing Cross-Sectional Correlation in Large Panel Data Models with Serial Correlation," Econometrics, MDPI, vol. 4(4), pages 1-24, November.
    6. Simplice A. Asongu & Nicholas M. Odhiambo, 2020. "Remittances, the diffusion of information and industrialisation in Africa," Contemporary Social Science, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 15(1), pages 98-117, January.
    7. Efobi, Uchenna & Asongu, Simplice & Okafor, Chinelo & Tchamyou, Vanessa & Tanankem, Belmondo, 2019. "Remittances, finance and industrialisation in Africa," Journal of Multinational Financial Management, Elsevier, vol. 49(C), pages 54-66.
    8. Tavares, Jose, 2004. "The open society assesses its enemies: shocks, disasters and terrorist attacks," Journal of Monetary Economics, Elsevier, vol. 51(5), pages 1039-1070, July.
    9. Asongu, Simplice & Nwachukwu, Jacinta, 2016. "Law, Politics and the Quality of Government in Africa," MPRA Paper 74231, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    10. Konstantinos Drakos & Andreas Gofas, 2006. "In Search Of The Average Transnational Terrorist Attack Venue," Defence and Peace Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 17(2), pages 73-93.
    11. Simplice Asongu, 2014. "Financial development dynamic thresholds of financial globalization," Journal of Economic Studies, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 41(2), pages 166-195, March.
    12. Simplice A. Asongu & Jacinta C. Nwachukwu, 2017. "Fighting Capital Flight in Africa: Evidence from Bundling and Unbundling Governance," Journal of Industry, Competition and Trade, Springer, vol. 17(3), pages 305-323, September.
    13. Chen, Andrew H. & Siems, Thomas F., 2004. "The effects of terrorism on global capital markets," European Journal of Political Economy, Elsevier, vol. 20(2), pages 349-366, June.
    14. Koenker, Roger W & Bassett, Gilbert, Jr, 1978. "Regression Quantiles," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 46(1), pages 33-50, January.
    15. Vanessa A Boese, 2019. "How (not) to measure democracy," International Area Studies Review, Center for International Area Studies, Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, vol. 22(2), pages 95-127, June.
    16. Subhayu Bandyopadhyay & Todd Sandler & Javed Younas, 2014. "Foreign direct investment, aid, and terrorism," Oxford Economic Papers, Oxford University Press, vol. 66(1), pages 25-50, January.
    17. Kazeem B. Ajide & Ibrahim D. Raheem, 2020. "Does Democracy Really Fuel Terrorism in Africa?," International Economic Journal, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 34(2), pages 297-316, April.
    18. Matthew C. Wilson & James A. Piazza, 2013. "Autocracies and Terrorism: Conditioning Effects of Authoritarian Regime Type on Terrorist Attacks," American Journal of Political Science, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 57(4), pages 941-955, October.
    19. Philip Keefer, 2007. "Clientelism, Credibility, and the Policy Choices of Young Democracies," American Journal of Political Science, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 51(4), pages 804-821, October.
    20. Gaibulloev, Khusrav & Piazza, James A. & Sandler, Todd, 2017. "Regime Types and Terrorism," International Organization, Cambridge University Press, vol. 71(3), pages 491-522, July.
    21. Chimere O. Iheonu & Kingsley O. Odo & Davidmac O. Ekeocha, 2020. "Estimating the effect of Democracy, Governance and Militarisation on Peace in Africa," Research Africa Network Working Papers 20/046, Research Africa Network (RAN).
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Simplice A. Asongu, 2019. "The persistence of global terrorism," Working Papers of the African Governance and Development Institute. 19/053, African Governance and Development Institute..
    2. Chimere O. Iheonu & Shedrach A. Agbutun & Chinedum J. Chiemela, 2021. "Human Rights in Sub Saharan Africa: Understanding the Influence of Militarization, Governance and Democracy," Research Africa Network Working Papers 21/041, Research Africa Network (RAN).
    3. Chimere O. Iheonu & Shedrach A. Agbutun & Chinedum J. Chiemela, 2021. "Human Rights in Sub Saharan Africa: Understanding the Influence of Militarization, Governance and Democracy," Working Papers of the African Governance and Development Institute. 21/041, African Governance and Development Institute..
    4. Chimere O. Iheonu & Hyacinth E. Ichoku, 2021. "Poverty and terrorism in Africa: Understanding the nexus based on existing levels of terrorism," Poverty & Public Policy, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 13(3), pages 254-272, September.
    5. Adam, Antonis & Tsavou, Evi, 2022. "Do natural disasters fuel terrorism? The role of state capacity," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 115(C).
    6. Ajide, Kazeem B. & Adenuga, Juliet I. & Raheem, Ibrahim D., 2020. "Natural resource rents, political regimes and terrorism in Africa," International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 162(C), pages 50-66.
    7. Simplice A. Asongu & Nicholas M. Odhiambo, 2019. "Governance, capital flight and industrialisation in Africa," Journal of Economic Structures, Springer;Pan-Pacific Association of Input-Output Studies (PAPAIOS), vol. 8(1), pages 1-22, December.
    8. Simplice A. Asongu & Nicholas Biekpe, 2018. "Globalization and terror in Africa," International Economics, CEPII research center, issue 156, pages 86-97.
    9. Simplice A. Asongu & Joseph Nnanna, 2020. "Governance and the Capital Flight Trap in Africa," Working Papers of the African Governance and Development Institute. 20/024, African Governance and Development Institute..
    10. Simplice A. Asongu & Rexon T. Nting & Evans S. Osabuohien, 2019. "One Bad Turn Deserves Another: How Terrorism Sustains the Addiction to Capital Flight in Africa," Journal of Industry, Competition and Trade, Springer, vol. 19(3), pages 501-535, September.
    11. Simplice Asongu & Vanessa Tchamyou & Ndemaze Asongu & Nina Tchamyou, 2019. "Fighting terrorism in Africa: evidence from bundling and unbundling institutions," Empirical Economics, Springer, vol. 56(3), pages 883-933, March.
    12. Simplice A. Asongu & Joseph Nnanna & Rexon T. Nting, 2022. "A bad turn deserves another: linkages between terrorism, capital flight and industrialisation," International Journal of Public Administration, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 45(10), pages 760-772, July.
    13. Asongu, Simplice A. & Le Roux, Sara & Singh, Pritam, 2021. "Fighting terrorism in Africa: Complementarity between inclusive development, military expenditure and political stability," Journal of Policy Modeling, Elsevier, vol. 43(5), pages 897-922.
    14. Chimere O. Iheonu & Shedrach A. Agbutun & Chinedum J. Chiemela, 2021. "Human Rights in Sub Saharan Africa: Understanding the Influence of Militarization, Governance and Democracy," Working Papers 21/041, European Xtramile Centre of African Studies (EXCAS).
    15. Rafat Mahmood & Michael Jetter, 2020. "Communications Technology and Terrorism," Journal of Conflict Resolution, Peace Science Society (International), vol. 64(1), pages 127-166, January.
    16. Friedrich Schneider & Tilman Brück & Daniel Meierrieks, 2010. "The Economics of Terrorism and Counter-Terrorism: A Survey (Part II)," Discussion Papers of DIW Berlin 1050, DIW Berlin, German Institute for Economic Research.
    17. Kis-Katos, Krisztina & Liebert, Helge & Schulze, Günther G., 2011. "On the origin of domestic and international terrorism," European Journal of Political Economy, Elsevier, vol. 27(S1), pages 17-36.
    18. Simplice A. Asongu & Stella-Maris I. Orim & Rexon T. Nting, 2019. "Terrorism and Social Media: Global Evidence," Journal of Global Information Technology Management, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 22(3), pages 208-228, July.
    19. Asongu, Simplice & Tchamyou, Vanessa & Asongu, Ndemaze & Tchamyou, Nina, 2019. "Fighting terrorism in Africa when existing terrorism levels matter," MPRA Paper 102026, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    20. Simplice A. Asongu & Jules R. Minkoua N., 2018. "Dynamic openness and finance in Africa," The Journal of International Trade & Economic Development, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 27(4), pages 409-430, May.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Democracy; Terrorism; Africa; Instrumental Variable; Fixed Effects Model;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • O1 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development
    • O55 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economywide Country Studies - - - Africa

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:exs:wpaper:21/089. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Anutechia Asongu Simplice (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://excas.org/ .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.