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Uncharitable Acts in Charity: Socioeconomic Drivers of Charity‐Related Fraud

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  • Rajeev K. Goel

Abstract

Objective This article examines determinants of charity‐related crimes, focusing on socioeconomic influences. Charity crimes have proliferated in recent years but formal research on their causes is limited. Method Estimation methods using robust regression and two‐stage least squares are used, employing data across states in the United States obtained from the Federal Bureau of Investigation and other government sources. Results The estimation results show that states with heightened cases of identity theft have greater charity‐related crimes. However, I found no contagion from border identity theft or border charity crimes. With regard to other social factors, race and ethnic homogeneity were associated with charity crimes. Among economic factors, economic prosperity and economic disparity did not matter, but unemployment was associated with more charity crimes. Different dimensions of charity markets did not significantly matter. Conclusion The findings show that other white‐collar crimes such as identity theft might be crucially driving charity crimes.

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  • Rajeev K. Goel, 2020. "Uncharitable Acts in Charity: Socioeconomic Drivers of Charity‐Related Fraud," Social Science Quarterly, Southwestern Social Science Association, vol. 101(4), pages 1397-1412, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:socsci:v:101:y:2020:i:4:p:1397-1412
    DOI: 10.1111/ssqu.12794
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Gary S. Becker, 1974. "Crime and Punishment: An Economic Approach," NBER Chapters, in: Essays in the Economics of Crime and Punishment, pages 1-54, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    2. Salvatore Capasso & Rajeev K. Goel & James W. Saunoris, 2019. "Is it the gums, teeth or the bite? Effectiveness of dimensions of enforcement in curbing corruption," Economics of Governance, Springer, vol. 20(4), pages 329-369, December.
    3. Niklas Potrafke, 2018. "Government ideology and economic policy-making in the United States—a survey," Public Choice, Springer, vol. 174(1), pages 145-207, January.
    4. Gwen Moore & Sarah Sobieraj & J. Allen Whitt & Olga Mayorova & Daniel Beaulieu, 2002. "Elite Interlocks in Three U.S. Sectors: Nonprofit, Corporate, and Government," Social Science Quarterly, Southwestern Social Science Association, vol. 83(3), pages 726-744, September.
    5. Rajeev K. Goel, 2018. "Internet diffusion and free riding in insurance markets: An empirical investigation," Managerial and Decision Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 39(1), pages 91-96, January.
    6. Eric C. Twombly, 2002. "Religious Versus Secular Human Service Organizations: Implications for Public Policy," Social Science Quarterly, Southwestern Social Science Association, vol. 83(4), pages 947-961, December.
    7. Goel, Rajeev K. & Nelson, Michael A., 2007. "Are corrupt acts contagious?: Evidence from the United States," Journal of Policy Modeling, Elsevier, vol. 29(6), pages 839-850.
    8. Chris Low, 2006. "A framework for the governance of social enterprise," International Journal of Social Economics, Emerald Group Publishing, vol. 33(5/6), pages 376-385, May.
    9. Erica Harris & Christine Petrovits & Michelle H. Yetman, 2017. "Why Bad Things Happen to Good Organizations: The Link Between Governance and Asset Diversions in Public Charities," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 146(1), pages 149-166, November.
    10. Rajeev K. Goel, 2019. "Identity theft in the internet age: Evidence from the U.S. states," Managerial and Decision Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 40(2), pages 169-175, March.
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    1. Rajeev K. Goel, 2021. "Masquerading the Government: Drivers of Government Impersonation Fraud," Public Finance Review, , vol. 49(4), pages 548-572, July.
    2. Rajeev K. Goel & Michael A. Nelson, 2023. "Ending Covid-19 Vaccine Apartheid through Vaccine Donations: The Influence of Supply Chains," CESifo Working Paper Series 10723, CESifo.
    3. Nwaibeh, E.A. & Chikwendu, C.R., 2023. "A deterministic model of the spread of scam rumor and its numerical simulations," Mathematics and Computers in Simulation (MATCOM), Elsevier, vol. 207(C), pages 111-129.

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