Nilsson, Anna () (Dept. of Economics, Stockholm University) Agell, Jonas () (Dept. of Economics, Stockholm University)
Abstract
We exploit the exceptional variation in municipality-level unemployment and spending on labor market programs in Sweden during the 1990s to identify the impact of unemployment and programs on crime. We identify a statistically significant effect of unemployment on the incidence of overall crime, burglary, auto-theft and drug possession. A calculation suggests that the sharp reduction in unemployment during the later 1990s may have reduced burglary and auto-theft with 15 and 20 percent, respectively. After addressing several specification issues, we conclude that there is at best weak evidence that labor market programs general ones and those specifically targeted to the young help to reduce crime.
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Publisher Info
Paper provided by Stockholm University, Department of Economics in its series Research Papers in Economics with number
2003:13.
Length: 36 pages Date of creation: 14 Oct 2003 Date of revision: Handle: RePEc:hhs:sunrpe:2003_0013
Contact details of provider: Postal: Department of Economics, Stockholm, S-106 91 Stockholm, Sweden Phone: +46 8 16 20 00 Fax: +46 8 16 14 25 Email: Web page: http://www.ne.su.se/ More information through EDIRC
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Find related papers by JEL classification: J00 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - General - - - General K40 - Law and Economics - - Legal Procedure, the Legal System, and Illegal Behavior - - - General
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References listed on IDEAS Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.:
Freeman, Richard B., 1999.
"The economics of crime,"
Handbook of Labor Economics,
in: O. Ashenfelter & D. Card (ed.), Handbook of Labor Economics, edition 1, volume 3, chapter 52, pages 3529-3571
Elsevier.
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