Determinants of Terrorism in South Asian Countries: An Analysis of Panel Data

Abstract

Historically, terrorism has left severe mark on societies. Presently South Asia is facing severe threats of terrorism. According to Global Terrorism Index (2020) Pakistan is 2^nd highest affected country from terrorism after Iraq. Pakistan economy has faced a loss of US$ 103 billion in war against terrorism. This research provides an empirical examination of the determinants of terrorism in South Asia. For this purpose, panel data of six South Asian countries is used from the period of 1996 to 2020. The results of study show that poor education system, instable political circumstances and worse law & order situations are reason to trigger the terrorism in South Asia. The results of the study suggest that by increasing the quality of governance through improvement political stability, rule of law, and quality education terrorism can be reduced.