Increased immigration does not cause higher levels of terrorism: Warwick study

Migration between countries does not link to higher numbers of terror attacks, according to a recent Warwick University study.

Warwick PAIS associate professor Vincenzo Bove, in collaboration with Tobias Böhmelt (University of Essex), has researched the link between migration and terror attacks between 1970-2000.

Although Dr. Bove stresses that “Every year the risk of terrorism diffusion in each country varies,” the study posits that overall migration is expected to have positive results in terms of diluting terrorism and for economic growth.

“If we subscribe to the belief that economic development is linked to a decrease in extremism then we should expect an increase in migration to have a positive effect.”

The study explains that immigration promotes the diffusion and assimilation of new skills, knowledge and perspectives which are beneficial to economic growth.

The Boar went out on campus to find out whether Warwick students had similar outlooks as Dr. Bove.

First year PAIS student Darius Stasulievicius points to Warwick University as a microcosmic portrayal of the benefits of migration:

“When we have over 100 nationalities, we all are migrants in this bubble, but unsurprisingly the mixture of nationalities contributes our knowledge and outlook towards people of different backgrounds, race and so on, in a way that we become more tolerant and learn how to get along with each other.”

Dr. Bove’s study also emphasises the importance of terrorism levels in the migrants’ countries of origin.

Accordingly, the host countries of people emigrating from regions with a large number of incidents involving terrorism are those most exposed to the circulation of terrorism.

The paper indicates that this can occur as a migrant group is radicalised by terrorists, or terrorists themselves migrate and train others at their destination.

“Terrorist organisations often exploit migrant networks and migrant communities as a recruitment pool.”

Dr. Bove hopes that policymakers will be aware that enforcing discriminatory immigration laws would backtrack on the positive effects of migrant effluxes, and concludes that identifying “organisers of terrorism in the first place” is more useful.

The topic of immigration was recently discussed at the Economics Summit by former Italian Prime Minister Enrico Letta, who viewed heightened influxes of migrants as a possible solution for ageing populations in countries such as his own and Japan.