Report

Teaser, summary, work performed and final results

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - MINDb4ACT (Mapping, IdentifyiNg and Developing skills and opportunities in operating environments to co-create innovative, ethical and effective ACTions to tackle radicalization leading to violent extremism)

Teaser

The issue of radicalization leading to terrorism has become a crucial part of the political and academic agendas in Europe, confronted, especially in the last decade, not only to the threat from Jihadist terrorism but also with right/left wing violent extremism. Some of the...

Summary

The issue of radicalization leading to terrorism has become a crucial part of the political and academic agendas in Europe, confronted, especially in the last decade, not only to the threat from Jihadist terrorism but also with right/left wing violent extremism.
Some of the deficits in the current regime of practices involved in Countering and Preventing Violent Extremism (CVE/PVE) have been identified in three kind of effectiveness at European level:
A) Formal effectiveness: PVE and CVE should not undermine the fundamental and human rights principles of the EU and implemented in the national jurisdictions of the EU Member States.
B) Material effectiveness: EU should improve the use of the tools that already are in place and connect the different stakeholders.
C) Research effectiveness: the EU should invest in the effective collaboration between academia and practitioners from a multi and inter disciplinary perspectives.
The Project contributes to the three levels:
A) Analysing the ethical and legal consequences of the emerging regime of pre-criminal justice and how to adapt and evolve current policies to be compatible with human rights approach.
B) Developing 17 pilot-projects in 9 Member States that address current gaps in CVE/PVE practices (risk assessment, mediation, early detection, ….) and needs of stakeholders terms of research resources (knowledge transfer) and capacity building (training)
C) Developing Living Lab methodology, an innovation environment that facilitates an open, participatory and end-user centred cooperation

Work performed

The first stage of MINDb4ACT (September 2017-March 2019) was focused, on the one hand, on the proper scientific alignment of the project with its research priorities and, on the other hand, on proactively producing dissemination material.
More in detail, the following actions were carried out:
1. Activities aimed at framing the problem of radicalisation in Europe and strengthen the scientific methodology.
- Three Methodological Workshops on Living Labs
- Elaboration of a methodological paper on Living Labs ecosystem
- Formal and informal meetings with stakeholders, in order to pave the way to the Study Visits and, ultimately, the architecture of the Living Labs (January 2017-December 2019)
- Five Study Visits in Denmark, Belgium, Finland, United Kingdom and Italy
- A Macro-survey in 8 EU countries (Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain and United Kingdom) interrogating (300) practitioners from Law Enforcement Agencies and first line professionals
- Contextual analysis of the main features, practices, division of roles and institutional framework within the CVE policies in the countries represented in the Consortium to investigate in the four analytical sectors (local initiatives, prisons and judiciary system, schools and learning centers, the internet and the media) identified as strategic in terms of radicalization processes.
- Compilation of 26 case studies in 13 European countries to extract all the information from different perspectives: phenomenology of radicalisation, technologies, socio-psychological profiles of vulnerable and influential individuals, ethical and legal framework.
2. Activities aimed at setting the framework for the proper analysis of the added value of the EU in the CVE policies and practices of MS,
-Organization of 8 focus groups (with 7-12 experts) in the EU countries covered by the Macro-survey
- Compilation of data (150 sentences) from various court-decisions on human rights, radicalisation and security
3. Activities aimed at assessing the skills and needs in LEAs, professionals to créate training materials.
- Assessment of needs and requirements from stakeholders in CVE practices to conceptualize the 17 pilot-projects to be developed within the Living Labs.
- Design (Structure, Index and work plan for partners) of a technology assessment to provide a comprehensive overview of existing and/or emerging technologies and social innovation approaches to countering violent extremism, and an analysis their application and effectiveness.
Moreover, as a bridge among the research activities and communication, the MINDb4ACT digital platform (domain: www.counterradicalisation.eu) was established and it will function as service for stakeholders.

Final results

The project has contributed to scientific, policy and societal impacts:
A) Scientific Impact:
The Project has substantially contributed to a better understanding of the radicalization process through the deliverable D1.2 Catalogue of Case Studies through a comparative analysis based on criminology techniques (SCRIPT). Such input will form a basis for a better comprehension of push factors and pull factors involved in the four contexts considered for the interventions (pilot-projects) Another relevant research output with impact on the current state-of-art in radicalization studies corresponds to D4.1. Dataset on court decisions on human rights, radicalization and security (almost 300 cases). Such dataset provides a systematization of current legal trends in Europe concerning sentences involving pre-criminal acts (propaganda, incitement, apology to terrorism…) that may collude with fundamental rights (freedom for speech, association, …). This deliverable is of paramount importance for researchers interested in how the emerging Security Union at EU Level and the pre-criminal justice procedures and practices developed by Member States can or not be integrated from legal perspective (Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union). The Project has developed the Living Lab methodology as an innovation framework that could contribute to the evolution and update of current practices of LEAs and first-line practitioners. Such innovative design, based on Responsible Research view, emphasizes the importance of a more integrated approach in the design of PVE/CVE policies with the involvement of the actual practitioners will be the end-users in the practices.
B) Policy and Societal Impact
The Project has produced a macro survey that collects insights from practitioners, working in or around CVE areas in several EU Member States: Spain, Italy, France, United Kingdom, Belgium, Austria, Germany, Poland and Denmark. Practices, policies and transfer of knowledge taking place in various geographical and professional setups are brought into focus in order to define ‘framing the problem’ of radicalization and/or violent extremism. In addition, the survey explores the gaps of CVEs infrastructures and contributes to assessment of the needs for EU internal security in terms of governance framework, decision-making procedures and collaboration amongst institutions.
This survey stresses out the importance of a common understanding of radicalization process not only at policy level but also in the current practices developed by LEAs and other first-line practitioners. Without such common understanding, embedded in each own organizational and professional culture, the current fragmented picture will perform as a strong barrier not only against a Europeanization of practices but also against an effective and legitimate pre-criminal justice in Member Sates.

Website & more info

More info: http://www.mindb4act.eu.