Domestic Terrorism and Extremism Groups
Social scientists from various disciplines have produced several theories to explain the motivations behind prejudice-based acts of political violence and terror. Hate crimes fundamentally differ from other types of crimes due to the presence of ill will that perpetrators harbor against their victims. One economics-based theory as to why perpetrators foster this ill will is that they may blame the influx of minorities into the labor market for personal economic worries related to unemployment and a decrease in real wages. An empirical model used to test this theory revealed that if a state's real wages increased over time then hateful activity would decrease; likewise if the state's unemployment rate increased over time then hateful activity would also increase1.
Another economics-based theory used to explain possible motivations behind hate crimes states that perpetrators may harbor extreme jealousy and resentment towards minorities whom they believe are undeservedly experiencing upward social mobility. Research using FBI-compiled hate crime data across various states revealed for example that the smaller the income gap between blacks and whites the higher the hate crime rate2.
According to a sociological-based theory, perpetrators may be motivated because they desire to have a sense of belongingness with members of their own group. This can explain why hate crime perpetrators often belong to specific organizations promoting hatred such as the Ku Klux Klan and White Aryan Resistance. Finally, a psychological-based theory states that perpetrators, due to having a poor self-image and a fear of the unknown, may be motivated to hate based on wanting to feel superior to their victims. Whatever motivations exist, all are based somehow or another on both the fear of and ignorance about the different types of people that live in the world.
Medoff, Marshall H. "Allocation of time and hateful behavior: a theoretical and positive analysis of hate and hate crimes." American Journal of Economics and Sociology. Oct. 1999. Available at http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0254/is_4_58/ai_58496768/pg_7, Accessed April 25, 2007
Lewis, Gale R. "An economic analysis of hate crime." Eastern Economic Journal. Spring 2002. Available at http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3620/is_200204/ai_n9080088/pg_1, Accessed April 25, 2007
