Electoral costs can be divided into three categories:[1] 

• core costs (or direct costs)—routinely associated with implementing an electoral process in a stable electoral environment;
• diffuse costs (or indirect costs)—relating to electoral services that cannot be disentangled from the general budgets of agencies that assist with the implementation of an electoral process; and
• integrity costs—necessary to provide security, integrity, political neutrality and a level playing field for an electoral process.
  
  

Inadequate funding, financing and budgeting will not necessarily trigger violence directly. Inadequate resources may. however, force EMBs to make compromises that can impact on the integrity and security of electoral processes and thus open them up for disputes that can in turn fuel and trigger violent conflicts. For example, core cost deficiencies may affect an electoral process’s technical integrity; lack of diffuse funds will limit the engagement of supporting agencies, especially those with the task of providing security; and a lack of integrity funds at the disposal of an EMB may harm the legitimacy of the process.

“Economic violence is also recognized among forms of non-physical violence. This type of violence includes being denied funds that an individual is entitled to during their term of office or political campaign; being denied other resources an individual is entitled to in connection with their political office or campaign (offices, computers, staff, salary); harm or threats to harm a business, termination, or threat of termination of employment.”[2]