Die Kosten des Extremismus

• February 2019
• Neil Ferguson, Johannes Rieckmann, Tim H. Stuchtey

• Number 9 Perspectives on Homeland Security

The Brandenburg Institute for Society and Security (BIGS) was commissioned by the Counter Extremism Project (CEP) to conduct a short study on the costs of extremism using the example of the Federal Republic of Germany. The main aim of the study is to describe what extremism is, what the costs of extremism can consist of, who they are incurred by, and their extent. With regard to the extent of the costs of extremism, it was clear to the client and the BIGS from the outset that only a few case studies could provide examples of how individual costs should be calculated. An aggregated presentation, for example for a local authority, also seemed illusory from the outset due to the limited time available, but especially because of the lack of data availability. The present BIGS position represents the result of our analysis. It has shown how difficult it is to define extremism in such a way that the term is sufficiently described to actually be able to ascertain and calculate its extent. Likewise, our analysis has made it increasingly clear how deficient the availability of data in this area is. This is particularly true if one wants to use only those data that actually describe extremism according to the definition. However, the analysis also shows how varied the cost types of extremism can be and how important it is to have clearly defined the unit of analysis in terms of geography and temporal location in order to estimate their extent.