A Relative Deprivation-Based Theory of Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism: Policy Implications for Program Design and Deradicalization Work

Abstract

The theory of Relative Deprivation (RD)—introduced by Walter Runciman in the late 1960s—is one of the most widely established theoretical concepts explaining political violence. Criminology has mostly abandoned RD theory despite many valuable contributions it could still make to the field. This theoretical article applies the RD theory in Ted Gurr’s version to the field of preventing and countering violent extremism (P/CVE) practice and policy through a combination of meta-narrative and integrative literature reviews. By studying P/CVE through the lens of RD, this article demonstrates the continuous value of RD theory as a link between criminology and terrorism research on the one hand and advances evidence-based concepts in the P/CVE field on the other.