event
Centre for International Environmental Studies
Thursday
08
November
Religiosity_08.11.2018

Religiosity and Terrorism: Evidence from Ramadan Fasting

Roland Hodler, Professor of Economics, University of St.Gallen (CH)
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Room S1, Maison de la paix, Geneva

CIES ECON Seminar

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This study examines the effect of religiosity on terrorism by focusing on one of the five pillars of Islam: Ramadan fasting. For identification, we exploit two facts: First, daily fasting from dawn to sunset during Ramadan is considered mandatory for most Muslims. Second, the Islamic calendar is not synchronized with the solar cycle. We find a robust negative effect of more intense Ramadan fasting on terrorist events within districts and country-years in predominantly Muslim countries. We argue that this effect partly operates through a decrease in public support for terrorism, which in turn reduces the operational capabilities of terrorist groups.