Counterterrorism priorities are proving wasteful
By

Copenhagen Consensus

commissioned new research into the merits of different methods of combating terrorism

Global annual spending on homeland security measures has increased by about $70 billion since 2001

What is surprising is that there have been 67 more deaths, on average, each year

The rise in the death toll is caused by terrorists responding rationally to the higher risks imposed by greater security measures

They have shifted to attacks that create more carnage to increase the impact of fewer attacks

Increased counterterrorism measures simply transfer terrorists' attention elsewhere

a project that seeks to establish priorities for advancing global welfare using methodologies based on the theory of welfare economics

The initial project was co-sponsored by the Danish government and The Economist newspaper

The participants were all economists, with the focus of the project being a rational prioritization based on economic analysis

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