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When Does Terror Induce a State of Emergency? And What Are the Effects?

Christian Bjørnskov and Stefan Voigt
Authors registered in the RePEc Author Service: Christian Bjørnskov

Journal of Conflict Resolution, 2020, vol. 64, issue 4, 579-613

Abstract: The relationship between terrorist activities and states of emergency has never been explored in a cross-country perspective. This article is a first step to change that. Given that a terror act has been committed, what are the factors that lead governments to declare a state of emergency (SOE)—or refrain from declaring it? And given that a SOE has been declared, what are the effects thereof? On the basis of seventy-nine countries all having Western-style constitutions, we find that more terrorist incidents increase the likelihood of a SOE. Interestingly, emergencies are less likely to be declared in election years, supposedly because governments believe them to be unpopular. Once a SOE is declared, it generally leads to substantially more government repression. Finally, countries already under a SOE are more likely to suffer from additional terror attacks, challenging the effectiveness of states of emergency.

Keywords: terrorism; state of emergency; constitutional emergency provisions; état de siege; positive constitutional economics (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (10)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:sae:jocore:v:64:y:2020:i:4:p:579-613

DOI: 10.1177/0022002719865994

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