On the Behavioral Economics of Crime
Abstract
This paper examines the implications of the brain sciences’ mechanistic model of human behavior for our understanding of crime. The standard rational-choice crime model is refined by a behavioral approach, which proposes a decision model comprising cognitive and emotional decision systems. According to the behavioral approach, a criminal is not irrational but rather ‘ecologically rational,’ outfitted with evolutionarily conserved decision modules adapted for survival in the human ancestral environment. Several important cognitive as well as emotional factors for criminal behavior are discussed and formalized, using tax evasion as a running example. The behavioral crime model leads to new perspectives on criminal policy-making.Download Info
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Bibliographic Info
Article provided by De Gruyter in its journal Review of Law & Economics.
Volume (Year): 8 (2012)
Issue (Month): 1 ()
Pages: 8
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Web page: http://www.degruyter.com
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Web: http://www.degruyter.com/view/j/rle
Related research
Keywords: Crime; Behavioral Economics; Cognition; Emotion; Policymaking; Tax Evasion;Find related papers by JEL classification:
- D03 - Microeconomics - - General - - - Behavioral Economics; Underlying Principles
- H26 - Public Economics - - Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue - - - Tax Evasion
- H59 - Public Economics - - National Government Expenditures and Related Policies - - - Other
- K14 - Law and Economics - - Basic Areas of Law - - - Criminal Law
- K42 - Law and Economics - - Legal Procedure, the Legal System, and Illegal Behavior - - - Illegal Behavior and the Enforcement of Law
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