Do Assassinations Work?

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The killing of the prominent Saudi Arabian journalist Jamal Khashoggi, which some people have called an assassination, has led to widespread condemnation of the Saudi regime and - in particular – it’s leader Mohammed Bin Salman. It’s also focused attention on the murky world of assassinations. But how likely is an assassination attempt to succeed and what institutional and structural impact does it have have on a country? Ben Carter talks to Ben Olken, Professor of Economics at MIT to find out the answers. (Image: President John F. Kennedy and his wife Jacqueline smile at the crowds lining their motorcade route in Dallas, Texas on November 22 1963. Minutes later the President was assassinated. / Getty images.