# R. J. Rummel **Domain:** Political violence research **Doc Type:** Developed Person Node **Maturity:** Developed **Collection:** [[collections/Gamification|Gamification Collection]] ## Definition **Rudolph J. Rummel** (1932–2014) was a political scientist who assembled large comparative datasets on war, genocide, and government mass killing and coined [[wiki/Democide|democide]]. His “power kills” thesis linked concentrated, unchecked political power to higher risk of state murder. ## Significance Rummel expands the unit of analysis beyond battlefield deaths. His work is important for asking what administrative power does to tail risk, while its category decisions and quantitative estimates require critical comparison with later atrocity research. ## Sources - R. J. Rummel, [Biography and publications](https://www.hawaii.edu/powerkills/PERSONAL.HTM) - Rummel, [Democracy, power, and mass murder](https://www.hawaii.edu/powerkills/SOD.CHAP17.HTM) ## Routes [[wiki/Democide|Democide]] · [[wiki/Fat Tails|Fat Tails]] · [[wiki/Extreme Value Theory|Extreme Value Theory]]