Consequences of Assessments of Effectiveness for Counterterrorist Financing Policy

Assessments are an important instrument in shaping global counterterrorist financing (CTF) policy. However, while CTF policies had an impact on terrorist activity, it is not clear which CTF measures are useful and which are not. Past assessments have had a bias toward expanding the scope and intensity of CTF regulations and implementation because of their focus on output and outcome of measures, rather than on their impact on terrorist activity. The article discusses major features of CTF evaluations and places them into wider frameworks of assessments in high-risk politics.