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Danny Klinenberg

Danny Klinenberg

PhD Alum
Email:
dklinenberg@ucsb.edu
Website:
Personal Website
Publications:
Curriculum Vitae
Curriculum Vitae:
Selling Violent Extremism

Biography

Danny is a third-year PhD student studying Economics at UCSB. He graduated from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo with a BS and MS in Quantitative Economics in 2018. 

Research

I received my Ph.D. in economics in August 2023 from the University of California - Santa Barbara and am a postdoctoral researcher at the University of California – San Diego. I am an applied microeconomist/econometrician who applies and develops causal inference tools to study conflict, specifically the financial incentives of extremism.

My job market paper studies the demand for membership in violent extremist organizations using leaked membership data on the Oath Keepers, America’s largest paramilitary organization and a key participant in the January 6th insurrection.  Other active projects include (1) developing the econometric framework for the theory of deterrence and (2) estimating how far-right content creators vary their language across platforms when faced with different terms and conditions.

I have published in the Journal of Business and Economic Statistics (Solo), Journal of Conflict Resolution (Solo), and Applied Economics (with Richard Startz). I have also developed a coding course used at UCSB as well as an accompanying book for guided exercises (with Michael Topper and Richard Startz).

Job Market Paper Abstract

"Selling Violent Extremism"

Domestic violent extremist organizations have become a significant threat to Western democracies, with some groups attracting tens of thousands of members. How did these groups amass such large followings? I study the effect of three tactics – membership discounts, armed events, and advertisements – on the demand for membership in the Oath Keepers, America’s largest paramilitary organization. Using a synthetic control framework, I find that discounts cause new member sign-ups to increase by over 150% and cause-related marketing by respectively; however, sports sponsorships decrease it. Demand for membership is less responsive to price changes in counties with more income inequality, but more so in heavily politically conservative counties.