I've rounded up some experts to explain the science behind the "English riots" that happened in London, Birmingham, Manchester, and some other cities at the beginning of August. Geography, social issues, crowd psychology, network science all have something to say about it, though detailed research, such as the Guardian's collaborative effort with the LSE, Reading the Riots, is only just beginning.
My feature about all this is out in Current Biology today:
Why do people riot?
Current Biology, Volume 21, Issue 18, R673-R676, 27 September 2011
doi:10.1016/j.cub.2011.09.015
FREE access to full text and pdf file
PS: Results of the detailed study of the 2011 riots are published here.
broken britain 2011
Interesting about the science of rioting. The number of peaceful demonstrations in the US is rising these days due to a growing awareness of all the inequities.
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