A preliminary theory of dark network resilience |
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| Authors: | René M Bakker Jörg Raab H Brinton Milward |
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| Institution: | 1. Department of Organisation Studies, Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences, Tilburg University, P.O. Box 90153, NL–5000 LE Tilburg, The Netherlands;2. Assistant Professor, Department of Organisation Studies, Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences, Tilburg University, P.O. Box 90153, NL‐5000 LE Tilburg, The Netherlands;3. Providence Service Corporation Chair, School of Government and Public Policy, University of Arizona, P.O. Box 210027, Tucson, AZ 85721–0027 |
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| Abstract: | A crucial contemporary policy question for governments across the globe is how to cope with international crime and terrorist networks. Many such “dark” networks—that is, networks that operate covertly and illegally—display a remarkable level of resilience when faced with shocks and attacks. Based on an in‐depth study of three cases (MK, the armed wing of the African National Congress in South Africa during apartheid; FARC, the Marxist guerrilla movement in Colombia; and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, LTTE, in Sri Lanka), we present a set of propositions to outline how shocks impact dark network characteristics (resources and legitimacy) and networked capabilities (replacing actors, linkages, balancing integration and differentiation) and how these in turn affect a dark network's resilience over time. We discuss the implications of our findings for policymakers. © 2011 by the Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management. |
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