How and Why to Study Lack of Political Violence? Conceptual Framework and Research Agenda

There is a rich tradition of studies that address terrorism and radicalization into violent extremism. However, there is one curious lacunae in this body of research: studies have dealt only very rarely with cases in which no or little terrorism has occurred. This means that we do not currently have a very good understanding of factors and conditions that may protect from terrorism, as these cannot be fully studied without analyzing also the cases in which there has been little political violence. This paper develops the the theoretical and methodological foundations for addressing the "lack of political violence" more systematically in further research projects, as well as reviews previous research relevant to this line of research.