A Multi-Theory Multi-Method Approach for Preventing and Reducing Radicalization leading to Violence

The UN has recently proclaimed 2020-2030 the Decade of Action and its top priority is fighting violentextremism.

This call is grounded in the insufficient progress achieved despite the vast efforts fromGovernments and scholars to tackle this issue.

The main shortcomings of previous approaches are (1)theoretical (poor consensus about the nature and causes), (2) empirical (infrequent access to populations ofinterest), and (3) methodological (research designs that do not allow to test for causality, no comparativestudies, over-reliance on qualitative data).

I am going to introduce and test empirically the firstcomprehensive multi-theoretical framework for the study of radicalization leading to violence and deradicalizationby understanding its nature to develop intervention programs.

In part one (WP1) I will developa multi-theory model for the nature and mechanisms underlying radicalization leading to violence andderadicalization.

In WP2 I will develop an innovative methodology to assess these processes by a platformfor data collection including dynamic and interactive measures of radicalization and deradicalization in largesamples in five continents.

WP3 will examine the mechanisms underlying radicalization outside and insideprisons in 10 nations (Spain, Iraq, Indonesia, Sri-Lanka, Colombia, Morocco, Palestine, Egypt, Tunisia,Jordan) through interviews, combined with online cross-sectional and longitudinal experiments to allow theinference of causality.

WP4 will focus on the development of evidence-based programs designed to preventradicalization in prisons and to conduct de-radicalization with incarcerated violent extremist offenders.

Thecontributions of this framework are twofold: a) advancing the scientific understanding of violent extremismby collecting unique empirical data from samples of violent extremist offenders collected worldwide, and b)providing novel evidence-based strategies and tools for predicting and preventing violent extremism.