Do inequality, unemployment and deterrence affect crime over the long run?
Year: 2017
Type: article
Abstract: Do inequality, unemployment and deterrence affect crime over the long run? Regional Studies. This paper investigates the long-run relationship between crime, inequality, unemployment and deterrence using US state-level data from 1978 to 2013. The novelty is to use non-stationary panels with a factor structure. The results show that: (1) a crime-theoretical model fits the long-run relationship well; (2) income inequality and unemployment have a positive impact on crime, whereas that of deterrence is negative; (3) the effect of income inequality on crime is larger when inequality is measured on a wider population proportion; and (4) property crime is generally highly sensitive to the deterrence effect of police.
Source: Regional Studies
Authors: Mauro Costantini, Iris Meco, Antonio Paradiso
Institutions: Brunel University of London, Ca' Foscari University of Venice
Language: English
Subfield: Sociology and Political Science
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2749739514