Summary
"In this edition of Canadian Diversity, we invited experts from Canada and abroad to share their observations and insights into the challenges associated with doing empirical work on terrorism and counterterrorism. The authors point to the considerable progress that has been made since the beginning of the 21st century in the design and collection of relevant data. While some identify the limits in quantifying the phenomenon, they generally acknowledge the need to do more empirical work. Paradoxically, while the publication invites contributors to reflect on the best questions, the ten essays raise their own questions and in doing so suggest several avenues for future research. The context or circumstances within which the measurement of public opinion occurs is critical when it comes to terrorism and counter-terrorism. Moreover, any effort to do successful trend analysis regarding public perceptions requires a set of questions that carefully considers the proposed strategies and desired objectives of policy-makers in this highly sensitive area of inquiry."--Introduction.
Contents
1. Meeting the challenges of empirically measuring public views around security, terrorism and counter-terrorism: a Canadian case study / Jack Jedwab – 2. Perspectives on security, terrorism and counter-terrorism / Priyo Ghosh and Kamaldeep Bhui – 3. Public attitudes towards terrorism and counter-terrorism: an opinion research agenda / Stuart N. Soroka – 4. Building the United States Extremist Crime Database (ECDB): lessons learned / Joshua D. Freilich and Steven Chermak – 5. The good, the bad, & the promising: The state of research on counter-terrorism / Erica Chenoweth – 6. Foreign fighters: a review of recent findings through a Canadian lens / Jez Littlewood – 7. Asking the right questions to optimize detention and rehabilitation policies for violent extremist offenders / Tinka M. Veldhuis and Eelco J.A.M. Kessels – 8. Contextualising vs. forecasting: defining the role of databases in the empirical study of terrorism / Alexander Hull – 9. Researching terrorism and security: asking the right (follow-up) questions / Amarnath Amarasingam and Adam Stewart.