Terrorism Perpetrated By Individuals in the United States and Canada
16 Pages Posted: 9 May 2013 Last revised: 18 Dec 2017
Date Written: December 18, 2014
Abstract
We analyse acts of terrorism perpetrated by individuals, including lone wolf terrorists, in the United States and Canada during the period 1970 to 2014. The concentration of responsibility for inflicted fatalities is measured using the Herfindahl-Hirschman index. The diversity of attack methods and weapons choice is measured using entropy. Risk preferences or profiles are inferred for terrorist groups and individual offenders. Finally, the relative capability of individual terrorists to inflict fatalities is assessed against the capability demonstrated by terrorist groups.
Keywords: Terrorism, Individuals, Terrorist Groups, Lone Wolf Terrorists, Herfindahl-Hirschman Index, Entropy, Risk Preference, Capability, Attack Methods, Weapons, Choice, Profiles
JEL Classification: D74, H56, K14, K42
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation