Aaron M Hoffman
Biographic Data
| ID | 1417784 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Aaron M Hoffman |
| GIVEN NAMES | Aaron M |
| FAMILY NAME | Hoffman |
| SIGNATURE | HOFFMAN A M |
| AFFILIATIONS | Simon Fraser University |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-1570-4719 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 15 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 104 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 15 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2002 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 6 |
Climate Change and Terrorism News: Similar or Different
Journalists in the US regularly are thought to publish climate change news that uses less negative language than the terrorism reporting they provide. Using data from eight major newspapers, we show this supposition is true. However, we also show that terrorism news’ more negative tone is an epiphenomenon of the events journalists cover. When presented with identical climate change and terrorism stories, journalists report on these threats using …
Credit claims and the survival rates of terrorist organizations
Does bottom-line pressure make terrorism coverage more negative? Evidence from a twenty-newspaper panel study
Existing research suggests that journalists who work at newspapers that emphasize profitability increase the negativity of their terrorism reporting in response to declining revenues. Many journalists, however, dispute the connection between the sale of news and the coverage of news. The authors address this debate using an original panel dataset of articles about terrorism between 1997 and 2014, published by 20 of the top circulating newspapers …
Comfortably Numb: Effects of Prolonged Media Coverage
Exposure to a single report about terrorism in the mass media can trigger a range of emotional and political reactions. The consequences of exposure to several terrorism reports in row, however, are a matter of controversy. We examine the effects of prolonged terrorism coverage using an experimental design that combines self-report measures of emotions and political attitudes with instantaneous biometric data on emotions. Consistent with research…
When the “Laws of Fear” Do Not Apply: Effective Counterterrorism and the Sense of Security from Terrorism
We investigate how effective counterterrorism influences (1) confidence in government efforts to deal with terrorism and (2) the sense of insecurity from attacks. Research on “heuristic judgments” implies information about counterterrorism undercuts people’s perceived security from terrorism. Across three experiments, however, we find that people who are exposed to information about effective counterterrorism express more confidence in government…
Media effects: Do terrorist organizations launch foreign attacks in response to levels of press freedom or press attention
Terrorists are supposed to be influenced by opportunities for news coverage, but does this mean that groups initiate foreign attacks in response to the absence of press freedom in their country or inattention to that state by foreign media organizations? Using Asal and Rethmeyer’s BAAD1 data on terrorist organizations, we find that increasing levels of attention by the international press reduce the odds of groups launching cross-border attacks. …
Norms, Diplomatic Alternatives, and the Social Psychology of War Support
Using experiments, we show that subjects who are asked about their support for war without being told about diplomatic strategies to deal with crises back military operations at levels consistent with people who are told that the alternatives to war are of low quality. In contrast, subjects who are told that diplomacy could work to resolve conflicts express less support for military operations. These results suggest that, in the absence of confli…
Press Freedom, Publicity, and the Cross-National Incidence of Transnational Terrorism
Publicity is central to terrorism, but demonstrating a link between press freedom and the targeting of attacks is challenging. There are several reasons for this: (1) studies do not distinguish between press freedom and press attention; (2) perpetrators use press freedom to weed out unacceptable targets rather than to determine which targets to attack; (3) only foreign, not domestic, perpetrators depend on press attention; and (4) foreign terrori…
The Strategic Development of Border Areas: Explaining Variation in Interaction Opportunity Across Land Borders
The ability to interact with others is a necessary condition for the emergence of both cooperative and conflictual interstate relations. Yet, the spaces separating states vary in terms of the opportunities they offer for contacts to take place: some borders are difficult to traverse, others are not. Building on Harvey Starr and G. Dale Thomas's work on the permeability of land borders, we test the three most prominent hypotheses about the forces …
How Does the Business of News Influence Terrorism Coverage? Evidence From The Washington Post and USA Today
Observers argue that the business of news is responsible for worsening the coverage of terrorism, but exactly how economic considerations influence coverage is controversial. Based on an analysis of over 1600 articles from The Washington Post and USA Today, we find that concerns about the effects of economic pressures on terrorism reporting are exaggerated. The business climate affects coverage, but the long-term impact of market pressures on cov…
Voice and silence: Why groups take credit for acts of terror
Terrorism is designed to draw attention to particular issues and causes. Yet, the incidence of credit-taking (announcing one's responsibility for acts of terror) varies even though anonymity can undermine the clarity of the intended messages. This article offers an explanation of the variation in credit-taking that emphasizes how the competitive context in which groups operate shapes terrorists groups' need to cultivate support for their activiti…
Satisfaction, Alternatives, Investments, and the Microfoundations of Audience Cost Models
In this paper, we suggest that the Investment Model of Commitment, developed in social psychology, offers a solution to an important microfoundational issue in audience cost theory. Audience cost models are useful for thinking about the foreign policy behaviors of democratic and nondemocratic states. However, they often assume that citizens reliably penalize leaders who break their foreign policy promises even though the empirical record suggests…
The Structural Causes of Trusting Relationships: Why Rivals Do Not Overcome Suspicion Step by Step
Trust and Mistrust in International Relations by Andrew H. Kydd
A Conceptualization of Trust in International Relations
This article provides a conceptualization of trust in interstate relations in terms amenable to research. In the field of International Relations trust is often equated with the willingness to take risks on the behavior of others. However, this approach is problematic because it does not provide a basis for distinguishing between trusting and non-trusting relationships. In contrast, I propose that trust implies a willingness to take risks on the …
A Conceptualization of Trust in International Relations
This article provides a conceptualization of trust in interstate relations in terms amenable to research. In the field of International Relations trust is often equated with the willingness to take risks on the behavior of others. However, this approach is problematic because it does not provide a basis for distinguishing between trusting and non-trusting relationships. In contrast, I propose that trust implies a willingness to take risks on the …
Press Freedom, Publicity, and the Cross-National Incidence of Transnational Terrorism
Publicity is central to terrorism, but demonstrating a link between press freedom and the targeting of attacks is challenging. There are several reasons for this: (1) studies do not distinguish between press freedom and press attention; (2) perpetrators use press freedom to weed out unacceptable targets rather than to determine which targets to attack; (3) only foreign, not domestic, perpetrators depend on press attention; and (4) foreign terrori…
Voice and silence: Why groups take credit for acts of terror
Terrorism is designed to draw attention to particular issues and causes. Yet, the incidence of credit-taking (announcing one's responsibility for acts of terror) varies even though anonymity can undermine the clarity of the intended messages. This article offers an explanation of the variation in credit-taking that emphasizes how the competitive context in which groups operate shapes terrorists groups' need to cultivate support for their activiti…
Satisfaction, Alternatives, Investments, and the Microfoundations of Audience Cost Models
In this paper, we suggest that the Investment Model of Commitment, developed in social psychology, offers a solution to an important microfoundational issue in audience cost theory. Audience cost models are useful for thinking about the foreign policy behaviors of democratic and nondemocratic states. However, they often assume that citizens reliably penalize leaders who break their foreign policy promises even though the empirical record suggests…
Norms, Diplomatic Alternatives, and the Social Psychology of War Support
Using experiments, we show that subjects who are asked about their support for war without being told about diplomatic strategies to deal with crises back military operations at levels consistent with people who are told that the alternatives to war are of low quality. In contrast, subjects who are told that diplomacy could work to resolve conflicts express less support for military operations. These results suggest that, in the absence of confli…
How Does the Business of News Influence Terrorism Coverage? Evidence From The Washington Post and USA Today
Observers argue that the business of news is responsible for worsening the coverage of terrorism, but exactly how economic considerations influence coverage is controversial. Based on an analysis of over 1600 articles from The Washington Post and USA Today, we find that concerns about the effects of economic pressures on terrorism reporting are exaggerated. The business climate affects coverage, but the long-term impact of market pressures on cov…
Media effects: Do terrorist organizations launch foreign attacks in response to levels of press freedom or press attention
Terrorists are supposed to be influenced by opportunities for news coverage, but does this mean that groups initiate foreign attacks in response to the absence of press freedom in their country or inattention to that state by foreign media organizations? Using Asal and Rethmeyer’s BAAD1 data on terrorist organizations, we find that increasing levels of attention by the international press reduce the odds of groups launching cross-border attacks. …
When the “Laws of Fear” Do Not Apply: Effective Counterterrorism and the Sense of Security from Terrorism
We investigate how effective counterterrorism influences (1) confidence in government efforts to deal with terrorism and (2) the sense of insecurity from attacks. Research on “heuristic judgments” implies information about counterterrorism undercuts people’s perceived security from terrorism. Across three experiments, however, we find that people who are exposed to information about effective counterterrorism express more confidence in government…
The Strategic Development of Border Areas: Explaining Variation in Interaction Opportunity Across Land Borders
The ability to interact with others is a necessary condition for the emergence of both cooperative and conflictual interstate relations. Yet, the spaces separating states vary in terms of the opportunities they offer for contacts to take place: some borders are difficult to traverse, others are not. Building on Harvey Starr and G. Dale Thomas's work on the permeability of land borders, we test the three most prominent hypotheses about the forces …
The Structural Causes of Trusting Relationships: Why Rivals Do Not Overcome Suspicion Step by Step
Comfortably Numb: Effects of Prolonged Media Coverage
Exposure to a single report about terrorism in the mass media can trigger a range of emotional and political reactions. The consequences of exposure to several terrorism reports in row, however, are a matter of controversy. We examine the effects of prolonged terrorism coverage using an experimental design that combines self-report measures of emotions and political attitudes with instantaneous biometric data on emotions. Consistent with research…
Credit claims and the survival rates of terrorist organizations
Does bottom-line pressure make terrorism coverage more negative? Evidence from a twenty-newspaper panel study
Existing research suggests that journalists who work at newspapers that emphasize profitability increase the negativity of their terrorism reporting in response to declining revenues. Many journalists, however, dispute the connection between the sale of news and the coverage of news. The authors address this debate using an original panel dataset of articles about terrorism between 1997 and 2014, published by 20 of the top circulating newspapers …
A Conceptualization of Trust in International Relations
This article provides a conceptualization of trust in interstate relations in terms amenable to research. In the field of International Relations trust is often equated with the willingness to take risks on the behavior of others. However, this approach is problematic because it does not provide a basis for distinguishing between trusting and non-trusting relationships. In contrast, I propose that trust implies a willingness to take risks on the …
Trust and Mistrust in International Relations by Andrew H. Kydd
The Structural Causes of Trusting Relationships: Why Rivals Do Not Overcome Suspicion Step by Step
Satisfaction, Alternatives, Investments, and the Microfoundations of Audience Cost Models
In this paper, we suggest that the Investment Model of Commitment, developed in social psychology, offers a solution to an important microfoundational issue in audience cost theory. Audience cost models are useful for thinking about the foreign policy behaviors of democratic and nondemocratic states. However, they often assume that citizens reliably penalize leaders who break their foreign policy promises even though the empirical record suggests…
How Does the Business of News Influence Terrorism Coverage? Evidence From The Washington Post and USA Today
Observers argue that the business of news is responsible for worsening the coverage of terrorism, but exactly how economic considerations influence coverage is controversial. Based on an analysis of over 1600 articles from The Washington Post and USA Today, we find that concerns about the effects of economic pressures on terrorism reporting are exaggerated. The business climate affects coverage, but the long-term impact of market pressures on cov…
Voice and silence: Why groups take credit for acts of terror
Terrorism is designed to draw attention to particular issues and causes. Yet, the incidence of credit-taking (announcing one's responsibility for acts of terror) varies even though anonymity can undermine the clarity of the intended messages. This article offers an explanation of the variation in credit-taking that emphasizes how the competitive context in which groups operate shapes terrorists groups' need to cultivate support for their activiti…
The Strategic Development of Border Areas: Explaining Variation in Interaction Opportunity Across Land Borders
The ability to interact with others is a necessary condition for the emergence of both cooperative and conflictual interstate relations. Yet, the spaces separating states vary in terms of the opportunities they offer for contacts to take place: some borders are difficult to traverse, others are not. Building on Harvey Starr and G. Dale Thomas's work on the permeability of land borders, we test the three most prominent hypotheses about the forces …
Press Freedom, Publicity, and the Cross-National Incidence of Transnational Terrorism
Publicity is central to terrorism, but demonstrating a link between press freedom and the targeting of attacks is challenging. There are several reasons for this: (1) studies do not distinguish between press freedom and press attention; (2) perpetrators use press freedom to weed out unacceptable targets rather than to determine which targets to attack; (3) only foreign, not domestic, perpetrators depend on press attention; and (4) foreign terrori…
Media effects: Do terrorist organizations launch foreign attacks in response to levels of press freedom or press attention
Terrorists are supposed to be influenced by opportunities for news coverage, but does this mean that groups initiate foreign attacks in response to the absence of press freedom in their country or inattention to that state by foreign media organizations? Using Asal and Rethmeyer’s BAAD1 data on terrorist organizations, we find that increasing levels of attention by the international press reduce the odds of groups launching cross-border attacks. …
Norms, Diplomatic Alternatives, and the Social Psychology of War Support
Using experiments, we show that subjects who are asked about their support for war without being told about diplomatic strategies to deal with crises back military operations at levels consistent with people who are told that the alternatives to war are of low quality. In contrast, subjects who are told that diplomacy could work to resolve conflicts express less support for military operations. These results suggest that, in the absence of confli…
When the “Laws of Fear” Do Not Apply: Effective Counterterrorism and the Sense of Security from Terrorism
We investigate how effective counterterrorism influences (1) confidence in government efforts to deal with terrorism and (2) the sense of insecurity from attacks. Research on “heuristic judgments” implies information about counterterrorism undercuts people’s perceived security from terrorism. Across three experiments, however, we find that people who are exposed to information about effective counterterrorism express more confidence in government…
Does bottom-line pressure make terrorism coverage more negative? Evidence from a twenty-newspaper panel study
Existing research suggests that journalists who work at newspapers that emphasize profitability increase the negativity of their terrorism reporting in response to declining revenues. Many journalists, however, dispute the connection between the sale of news and the coverage of news. The authors address this debate using an original panel dataset of articles about terrorism between 1997 and 2014, published by 20 of the top circulating newspapers …
Comfortably Numb: Effects of Prolonged Media Coverage
Exposure to a single report about terrorism in the mass media can trigger a range of emotional and political reactions. The consequences of exposure to several terrorism reports in row, however, are a matter of controversy. We examine the effects of prolonged terrorism coverage using an experimental design that combines self-report measures of emotions and political attitudes with instantaneous biometric data on emotions. Consistent with research…
Credit claims and the survival rates of terrorist organizations
Climate Change and Terrorism News: Similar or Different
Journalists in the US regularly are thought to publish climate change news that uses less negative language than the terrorism reporting they provide. Using data from eight major newspapers, we show this supposition is true. However, we also show that terrorism news’ more negative tone is an epiphenomenon of the events journalists cover. When presented with identical climate change and terrorism stories, journalists report on these threats using …
Political science (14 works) · Law (13 works) · Law (10 works) · Terrorism (9 works) · Sociology (8 works) · Political Conflict and Governance (7 works) · Politics (7 works) · Computer Science (6 works) · International Relations and Foreign Policy (6 works) · Psychology (6 works)