This article explores the relationship between governmental deterrence, crime, and the strength of social norms against crime. Based on experimental research in psychology and economics, I argue that the strength of the social norm of "not committing a crime" is shaped by social interactions. Modeling these social interactions exhibits self-reinforcing processes of crime and multiple equilibria. As for the impact of governmental deterrence, I show that harsher governmental deterrence reduces crime directly as well as indirectly through its impact on social norms.
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Volume (Year): 161 (2005) Issue (Month): 3 (September) Pages: 522- Download reference. The following formats are available: HTML
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Find related papers by JEL classification: K4 - Law and Economics - - Legal Procedure, the Legal System, and Illegal Behavior Z13 - Other Special Topics - - Cultural Economics - - - Social Norms and Social Capital; Social Networks Economic Anthropology
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