Creating a Knowledge Base for Interventions Countering (Violent) Extremism: Intervention Goals and Mechanisms for Different Ideologies.

Authors

  • Helma van den Berg TNO (Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research), the Netherlands
  • Dianne A. van Hemert TNO (Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research), the Netherlands
  • Anthony J. van Vliet TNO (Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research), the Netherlands

Keywords:

Knowledge Base, CVE Interventions, Radicalization, Intervention Goals, Ideologies

Abstract

Many interventions aim to tackle violent radicalization. Monitoring the implementation of interventions results in a better identification of effective interventions and in a more appropriate selection of applicable interventions for practitioners. Using meta-analytic and network analytic methods, we present a method to store and retrieve information about countering (violent) extremism (CVE) interventions using a knowledge base that allows for different searches for relevant information. We describe the construal of this knowledge base using data on 99 European CVE interventions. Subsequently, we present inferences that can be drawn from this sample. Key determinants to identify whether radicalizing people are eligible for participating in CVE interventions were found to be friendship relations, group affiliation and available intelligence. Dependent on the ideology targeted by the CVE intervention different goals and mechanisms were identified. Information on financial costs of CVE interventions was often not available in open sources. Implications of representing the information on CVE interventions into a knowledge base are discussed.

Author Biography

Helma van den Berg, TNO (Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research), the Netherlands

This research was made possible by a FP7 European Union research grant (nr. 312235) as part of a larger research project named IMPACT Europe (Innovative Method and Procedure to Assess Counter-violent radicalisation Techniques), including twelve partner organizations across Europe (see http://impacteurope.eu). Correspondence regarding this article should be addressed to Helma van den Berg (Helma.vandenBerg@tno.nl), TNO, Defence, Safety and Security, Kampweg 55, 3769 DE, Soesterberg, the Netherlands.

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2018-06-24

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