Domestic terrorism is a significant challenge across the country, including here in Texas. According to a Policy Research Project (PRP) from the LBJ School of Public Affairs at The University of Texas at Austin, the issue is compounded by extreme partisan viewpoints widely available on social media. The research suggests the state has a large role to play in efforts to counter domestic terrorism going forward.
As the final step to completing their national security studies, students recommended a comprehensive course of action for the Texas Department of Public Safety to address the increased threat of extremism and domestic terrorism.
Their policy research was recognized by the Central Texas American Society of Public Administration (CENTEX ASPA), which awarded the students the James McGrew Award for a Group Research Project on May 18 in San Marcos, Texas. The award recognizes undergraduate and graduate students in public administration or public policy programs who have conducted outstanding research as an individual or as a team in public administration and/or public policy.
Professor Paul Pope, who led the project, was present to receive the award. LBJ Professor David Eaton nominated Pope and his students for the award, and Professor Jeremi Suri moderated the awards ceremony and presented the award to Pope and his students.
“When I notified the students that their project was receiving this honor, one student told me that he had accepted a position with the Department of Homeland Security and was told that he got his initial "call back" because of this project on his resume,” said Pope, who is also part of the Intelligence Studies Project at UT Austin.
“This is what we want to hear as professors at LBJ: that the work students are doing is relevant and preparing them for jobs in their chosen areas of interest," continued Pope.
“Receiving the McGrew Outstanding Research Award as recognition for our work on this project was immensely rewarding for both me and my peers,” said LBJ School graduate Jaime Cabrera, who now works as a policy manager at TikTok. “It validated the countless hours of research, analysis and collaboration we dedicated to understanding and addressing the complex issue of domestic terrorism in the digital age.”
“The most rewarding aspect of this research was seeing our findings and recommendations being considered by policymakers and practitioners,” said Jaime Cabrera. “Knowing that our efforts could potentially influence policies and contribute to the safety and security of our communities gave us a profound sense of accomplishment and purpose.”
In 2020, the U.S experienced 110 domestic terrorist attacks and plots, a 144% increase from 2019. This rise is expected to continue, due in part to the cultural norms of using social media to express extreme views, the challenges of demographic changes, hate group growth and government agency coordination issues.
The report finds the Texas Department of Public Safety is best suited to lead the state’s response. However, researchers caution that the rate at which social media accelerates radicalization poses a complex challenge for any law enforcement agency.
Report authors recommend that the Texas Legislature, which convenes in January, require DPS to produce two bi-annual threat assessments, with one focused on domestic terrorism and the other on mass violence attacks.
The report authors also hope their research may serve as a primer on the holistic view of domestic terrorism as a symptom of a larger cultural phenomenon and will, therefore, be an ongoing resource for Texas DPS and other agencies to use as they build resiliency against societal threats in the future. Read the full report here
About the Policy Research Project
Master of Public Affairs and Master of Global Policy Studies students cap off their academic experience at LBJ with the year-long Policy Research Project (PRP). This project pairs teams of students with a client to address a complex policy issue in a real-world context.
This is Pope's second experience in leading a PRP. Working with the US National Security Council as the client, the first project was entitled Interagency Performance in Counterterrorism Operations: Implications for the "Gray Zone."
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