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Determinants of the Crime Rate in Argentina during the 90's

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  • Ana María Cerro

    (Universidad Nacional de Tucumán)

  • Osvaldo Meloni

    (Universidad Nacional de Tucumán)

Abstract

Since Adam Smith, economists have emphasized income distribution and unemployment as key elements to explain criminal behavior. However, the empirical evidence did not always confirm such conjecture. Departing from the theoretical framework proposed by Becker (1968), the present paper identifies the determinants of the crime rate in Argentina using a panel data for 1990-99. As in previous papers studying the Argentina case, it is found that deterrence variables are important. However, unlike those papers, income distribution, unemployment and per capita GDP also played crucial roles, which has important implications for policy design. Classification JEL: K4, I3

Suggested Citation

  • Ana María Cerro & Osvaldo Meloni, 2005. "Determinants of the Crime Rate in Argentina during the 90's," Law and Economics 0504001, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    • Handle: RePEc:wpa:wuwple:0504001
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    12. Osvaldo Meloni, 2005. "Crecimiento potencial y productividad en la Argentina: 1980-1997," Development and Comp Systems 0503001, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    13. Levitt, Steven D, 1997. "Using Electoral Cycles in Police Hiring to Estimate the Effect of Police on Crime," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 87(3), pages 270-290, June.
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    15. Cameron, Samuel, 1988. "The Economics of Crime Deterrence: A Survey of Theory and Evidence," Kyklos, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 41(2), pages 301-323.
    16. Zhang, Junsen, 1997. "The Effect of Welfare Programs on Criminal Behavior: A Theoretical and Empirical Analysis," Economic Inquiry, Western Economic Association International, vol. 35(1), pages 120-137, January.
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    Cited by:

    1. Qadri, Faisal Sultan & Kadri, Adeel Sultan, 2010. "Relationship between education, health and crime: fable, fallacy or fact," MPRA Paper 30638, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    2. Halil Tunca & Ferda Esin Gulel, 2019. "Youth unemployment and crime: an empirical investigation for Turkey," Managerial Economics, AGH University of Science and Technology, Faculty of Management, vol. 20(1), pages 27-42.
    3. Cerro, Ana María & Ortega, Ana Carolina, 2012. "Sources of Regional Crime Persistence Argentina 1980-2008," MPRA Paper 44482, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    4. World Bank, 2003. "Jamaica - The Road to Sustained Growth : Country Economic Memorandum," World Bank Publications - Reports 14666, The World Bank Group.
    5. Piraee Khosrow & Barzegar Maryam, 2011. "The Relationship between the Misery Index and Crimes: Evidence from Iran," Asian Journal of Law and Economics, De Gruyter, vol. 2(1), pages 1-21, April.
    6. Osvaldo Meloni, 2018. "s there an electorally-motivated crime rate cycle? Evidence from Argentina," Economics Bulletin, AccessEcon, vol. 38(2), pages 1102-1110.
    7. Meloni, Osvaldo, 2012. "Is there an electoral-motivated crime rate cycle? Evidence from Argentina," MPRA Paper 40177, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    8. World Bank, 2004. "The Road to Sustained Growth in Jamaica," World Bank Publications - Books, The World Bank Group, number 15014, December.
    9. Meloni, Osvaldo, 2014. "Does poverty relief spending reduce crime? Evidence from Argentina," International Review of Law and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 39(C), pages 28-38.
    10. Cotte Poveda Alexander, 2011. "Socio-Economic Development and Violence: An Empirical Application for Seven Metropolitan Areas in Colombia," Peace Economics, Peace Science, and Public Policy, De Gruyter, vol. 17(1), pages 1-23, September.
    11. Cerro, Ana María & Rodríguez Andrés, Antonio, 2010. "The Effect of Crime on the Job Market: An ARDL approach to Argentina," MPRA Paper 44457, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    12. Latimaha, Rusli & Ismail, Nor Asmat, 2019. "Examining the Linkages between Street Crime and Selected State Economic Variables in Malaysia: A Panel Data Analysis," Jurnal Ekonomi Malaysia, Faculty of Economics and Business, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, vol. 53(1), pages 59-72.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Crime rate; income distribution; unemployment; Argentina;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • K - Law and Economics

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