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Does Social Capital Reduce Crime?

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Author Info
Paolo Buonanno () (Department of Economics, University of Bergamo)
Daniel Montolio () (Department of Economics, Universitat de Barcelona)
Paolo Vanin () (Department of Economics, University of Padua)

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Abstract

We investigate the effects of civic norms and associational networks on crime rates. Through their impact on trust and economic development, civic norms may raise the expected returns to crime, but they may also increase its opportunity cost and the feelings of guilt and shame attached to it. Associational networks may increase returns to non-criminal activities and raise detection probabilities, but they may also provide communication channels for criminals. The empirical assessment of these effects poses serious problems of endogeneity, omitted variables and measurement error. Italy’s great variance in social and economic characteristics, its homogeneity in policies and institutions, and the availability of historical data on social capital in its regions allow us to minimise the first two problems. To tackle the third one, we exploit high and stable report rates for some forms of property crime. Once we address these problems, we find that both civic norms and associational networks have a negative and significant impact on property crimes across Italian provinces.

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File URL: http://www.unibg.it/dati/bacheca/657/23214.pdf
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Publisher Info
Paper provided by University of Bergamo, Department of Economics in its series Working Papers with number 0605.

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Length: 25 pages
Date of creation: Nov 2006
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Handle: RePEc:brg:wpaper:0605

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For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its listing, contact: (Paolo Buonanno).

Related research
Keywords: Civic norms Associational networks Property crime Italy

Other versions of this item:

Find related papers by JEL classification:
A14 - General Economics and Teaching - - General Economics - - - Sociology of Economics
K42 - Law and Economics - - Legal Procedure, the Legal System, and Illegal Behavior - - - Illegal Behavior and the Enforcement of Law
Z13 - Other Special Topics - - Cultural Economics - - - Social Norms and Social Capital; Social Networks Economic Anthropology

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