Autori: Breton, Albert, Dalmazzone, Silvana
Titolo: A theory of rational political extremism
Periodico: International Center for Economics Research, Torino. ICER - Working papers series
Anno: 1999 - Fascicolo: 1 - Pagina iniziale: 1 - Pagina finale: 33

The paper focuses on two broad questions. The first is concerned with who becomes an extremist and with the mechanisms that are conducive to the radicalization of potential candidates. These are persons whose individual makeup in terms of a potential for autonomy – or in terms of a competence to deal with change, confusion, difficult situations, or other like circumstances – renders them susceptible to the adverse effects of information control. The paper also examines a number of mechanisms through which extreme beliefs are reinforced in persons and diffused or disseminated in groups. The second question with which the paper is concerned is that of explaining why groups of political extremists which appear to have the same broad orientation and to be moved by the desire to achieve virtually the same goals, engage in dissimilar activities –some practice indiscriminate terrorism, others engage in violent attacks towards specifically identified targets, others restrict themselves to the cultivation of hatred and resentment. The paper offers an explanation based on an analysis of signalling and destabilization motives underlying extremist behaviour.




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