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Guns and violence: The enduring impact of crack cocaine markets on young black males

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  • Evans, William N.
  • Garthwaite, Craig
  • Moore, Timothy J.

Abstract

The violence associated with crack cocaine markets in the 1980s and 1990s has repercussions today. Using cross-city variation in when crack cocaine arrived and an older comparison group, we estimate that the US murder rate of black males aged 15–24 was still 70 percent higher 17 years after crack markets had emerged. Using the fraction of gun-related suicides as a proxy for gun availability, we find that increased access to guns led to persistently higher murder rates. Our estimates imply that more guns due to crack-related violence explains approximately one-tenth of the current life-expectancy gap between white and black males.

Suggested Citation

  • Evans, William N. & Garthwaite, Craig & Moore, Timothy J., 2022. "Guns and violence: The enduring impact of crack cocaine markets on young black males," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 206(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:pubeco:v:206:y:2022:i:c:s0047272721002176
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jpubeco.2021.104581
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    Cited by:

    1. Kamada, Takuma, 2020. "The Emergence of the Crack Epidemic and City-to-Suburb Mobility Between and Within Ethno-Racial Groups," SocArXiv wkxqv, Center for Open Science.
    2. Wm. Alan Bartley & Geoffrey Fain Williams, 2022. "The role of gun supply in 1980s and 1990s youth violence," Contemporary Economic Policy, Western Economic Association International, vol. 40(2), pages 323-348, April.
    3. Evans, William N. & Kotowski, Maciej H., 2024. "The demand for protection and the persistently high rates of gun violence among young black males," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 234(C).
    4. Lena Edlund & Cecilia Machado, 2019. "It's the Phone, Stupid: Mobiles and Murder," NBER Working Papers 25883, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Crack cocaine; Drug epidemics; Homicide; Murder; Guns; Black males; Life expectancy;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • H0 - Public Economics - - General
    • I0 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - General
    • I12 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Health Behavior
    • I18 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Government Policy; Regulation; Public Health
    • J0 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - General

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