Extremist Networks and Lethality

Download or read book Extremist Networks and Lethality written by David J. Caspi and published by . This book was released on 2010 with total page 454 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This dissertation attempts to further our understanding of domestic extremists by employing Social Network Analysis (SNA) methodology to investigate the network of white supremacist groups associated with -- via formal members -- extreme ideologically motivated violence (homicides). SNA focuses on how actors (i.e. people, organizations) are linked in patterns of interaction and the meaning of those connections. The general hypothesis of SNA is that entities, like people or groups, are interdependent, and therefore more likely to network with those who share common interests, goals, belief systems, etc. Ultimately, choices are influenced by the company one keeps (Wasserman and Faust, 2006). The data for this study comes from the Extremist Crime Database (ECDB), created by Joshua Freilich of John Jay College and Steven Chermak of Michigan State University. The first objective of the study is to analyze and measure overall network structure (e.g. density, cohesion) as well as actor level characteristics (e.g. centrality, constraint) in an effort to ascertain which groups are most popular and/or important to the flow of information within the network. A second objective of this study is to determine, via regression analysis, whether certain actor level characteristics are significantly related to an increased threat of ideologically motivated homicide. If so, then a white supremacist group's role or location within the network may serve as a predictor of lethality.