Two more random studies I found interesting
This is the third part of a series looking at random interesting studies. Part one is here, and part two is here. I read these papers fairly quickly, so do let me know if I’ve made any errors that you can spot.
On political violence
There are a few empirical findings that I very much hope are true. The world is more convenient if cracking down on free speech actually causes extreme views to fester. It would be great if the legalisation of cannabis causes rates of psychosis to fall, and the libertarian case aligns with the utilitarian case. And it would be a real shame if terrorism actually led to an increase in support for the cause the terrorists are supporting. But alas, sometimes you stumble upon a Mick Jagger finding that reminds you that You Can’t Always Get What You Want.
Such is the case with Krause and Matsunaga (2023). They find that support for the AfD (the radical right party in Germany) seems to shoot up after a right-wing terrorist attack. This seems contrary to some of the…