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Does poverty relief spending reduce crime? Evidence from Argentina

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  • Meloni, Osvaldo

Abstract

A large body of theoretical empirical research suggests that welfare spending reduces crime. Contrary to this dominant finding, a few recent studies conclude that there is no relationship between several measures of welfare spending and crime. This paper contributes to the debate using data from the Unemployed Heads of Household Program (UHHP), the largest poverty alleviation program launched by the Argentinean government to cope with the deleterious effects of the 2002 crisis. Province-level dynamic panel data reveals that UHHP, featuring conditional cash transfers had a negative impact on crime, particularly on property crimes and its main categories, larceny and robbery. UHHP also diminished aggravated assault but had no influence on murder.

Suggested Citation

  • 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.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:irlaec:v:39:y:2014:i:c:p:28-38
    DOI: 10.1016/j.irle.2014.05.002
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    Cited by:

    1. Eric Melander & Martina Miotto, 2023. "Welfare Cuts and Crime: Evidence from the New Poor Law," The Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 133(651), pages 1248-1264.
    2. Hazra, Devika & Aranzazu, Jose, 2022. "Crime, correction, education and welfare in the U.S. – What role does the government play?," Journal of Policy Modeling, Elsevier, vol. 44(2), pages 474-491.
    3. Rudolph, Maximilian & Starke, Peter, 2020. "How does the welfare state reduce crime? The effect of program characteristics and decommodification across 18 OECD-countries," Journal of Criminal Justice, Elsevier, vol. 68(C).
    4. Cecilia Alonso, 2018. "Transferencias Monetarias y Crimen. Evidencia para la última década en Montevideo," Documentos de Investigación Estudiantil (students working papers) 18-02, Instituto de Economía - IECON.
    5. Matteo Tiratelli & Ben Bradford & Julia Yesberg, 2023. "The Political Economy of Crime: Did Universal Credit Increase Crime Rates?," The British Journal of Criminology, Centre for Crime and Justice Studies, vol. 63(3), pages 570-587.
    6. Daiane Borges Machado & Laura C Rodrigues & Davide Rasella & Maurício Lima Barreto & Ricardo Araya, 2018. "Conditional cash transfer programme: Impact on homicide rates and hospitalisations from violence in Brazil," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 13(12), pages 1-13, December.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Crime; Welfare spending; Dynamic panel data; Argentina;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • K4 - Law and Economics - - Legal Procedure, the Legal System, and Illegal Behavior
    • I3 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Welfare, Well-Being, and Poverty
    • D72 - Microeconomics - - Analysis of Collective Decision-Making - - - Political Processes: Rent-seeking, Lobbying, Elections, Legislatures, and Voting Behavior
    • P16 - Political Economy and Comparative Economic Systems - - Capitalist Economies - - - Capitalist Institutions; Welfare State

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