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Maritime Piracy and Pirate Organization

PI: Brandon Prins, University of Tennessee-Knoxville

Year selected for award: 2013

Principal Investigator: Brandon Prins, University of Tennessee-Knoxville

Co-Investigator: Ursula Daxecker, University of Amsterdam

Years of Award: 2013-2016

Managing Service Agency: Office of Naval Research

Projection Description:
Research on maritime piracy consists largely of case studies of countries or regions with particularly pressing piracy problems. We therefore lack systematic explanations and analyses of piracy globally and regionally speaking. In part, this problem stems from the absence of comprehensive and systematic data on pirate attacks. While several international organizations (such as the IMB) collect information on piracy incidents, no unified data source exists to date. In addition, only recently have social scientists begun to explore the puzzle of piracy and connect pirates to other violent non-state actors and mafia-style criminal organizations. Our research provides new data, new analytical tools, and novel insights into the emergence and persistence of modern maritime piracy.

Select Publications:
Daxecker, Ursula E., and Brandon C. Prins. 2015. "Searching For Sanctuary: Government Power And The Location Of Maritime Piracy". International Interactions 41 (4): 699-717.
Daxecker, Ursula E., and Brandon C. Prins. 2013. "The New Barbary Wars: Forecasting Maritime Piracy". Foreign Policy Analysis 11 (1): 23-44.
Daxecker, Ursula, and Brandon C Prins. 2017. "Financing Rebellion". Journal Of Peace Research 54 (2): 215-230.
Daxecker, Ursula, and Brandon C. Prins. 2015. "Enforcing Order: Territorial Reach And Maritime Piracy". Conflict Management And Peace Science 34 (4): 359-379.
Prins, Brandon, and Ursula Daxecker. 2013. "Political Stability And The Incidence Of Piracy". Journal Of Conflict Resolution 57 (6): 940-965.
Prins, Brandon, Ursula Daxecker, and Amanda Sanford. 2014. "Supplement To The Summer/Fall 2013 Issue: Terror On The Seas: Assessing The Threat Of Modern Day Piracy - The SAIS Review Of International Affairs". The SAIS Review Of International Affairs.
Prins, Brandon. 2017. "Somali Pirates Just Hijacked An Oil Tanker. Here's What Pirates Want — And Where They Strike". The Washington Post.
Prins, Brandon. 2014. "What Drives Maritime Piracy In Sub-Saharan Africa?". Piracy-Studies.Org.