Edinburgh Napier University

  The current literature is inconclusive on the driving forces of violent extremism, because of the complexity of the issue and diversity of its driving factors. Our research aims to determine the drivers of violent extremism that cause disruption, by examining the ecosystem of extremism and violent extremism, within MENA, Balkans, and South Asia Region. We intend to achieve this aim by using multiple lens (work packages) to examine the eco-system of violent extremism. We will use a market approach and fit the social constructs into the market theory. The rationale for using this multidisciplinary approach is that the discourse on market is intrinsically designed to deal with the complexities and has an ability to formulate the predictive trajectory of trends. The first two working packages will use qualitative and quantitative primary data analysis to map the eco-system, social network and value exchange network of violent extremism in the given geographical locations. This will result in a computer simulation model based on multi-agent analysis, that will plot the evolution of violent extremism over set time