IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/sae/jinter/v35y2022i2p216-247.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Can COVID-19 Lockdown Reduce Crimes Against Women? A District- Level Analysis from India

Author

Listed:
  • Prarthna Agarwal Goel
  • Joyita Roy Chowdhury
  • Yashobanta Parida

Abstract

In response to controlling the COVID-19 pandemic, the Indian government implemented a nationwide lockdown on 24 March 2020. We study the effect of lockdown on crimes against women. Using district-level panel data from 457 districts in India for five months (before, during and post-lockdown), we examine the interaction effect of COVID-19 containment zones and lockdown on crimes against women. Results suggest a differential impact of the lockdown on crime across different containment zones. Compared to the most COVID-19 affected zone, the less affected zones show a larger fall in crimes against women due to the imposition of a lockdown. JEL Codes: C33, J16, J78

Suggested Citation

  • Prarthna Agarwal Goel & Joyita Roy Chowdhury & Yashobanta Parida, 2022. "Can COVID-19 Lockdown Reduce Crimes Against Women? A District- Level Analysis from India," Journal of Interdisciplinary Economics, , vol. 35(2), pages 216-247, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:jinter:v:35:y:2022:i:2:p:216-247
    DOI: 10.1177/02601079221111006
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/02601079221111006
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1177/02601079221111006?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Bhalotra, Sonia & Amaral, Sofia, 2017. "Population sex ratios and violence against women: the long-run effects of sex selection in India," ISER Working Paper Series 2017-12, Institute for Social and Economic Research.
    2. Lakshmi Iyer & Anandi Mani & Prachi Mishra & Petia Topalova, 2012. "The Power of Political Voice: Women's Political Representation and Crime in India," American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, American Economic Association, vol. 4(4), pages 165-193, October.
    3. Stephen Machin & Olivier Marie & Sunčica Vujić, 2011. "The Crime Reducing Effect of Education," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 121(552), pages 463-484, May.
    4. Jean Drèze & Reetika Khera, 2000. "Crime, Gender, and Society in India: Insights from Homicide Data," Population and Development Review, The Population Council, Inc., vol. 26(2), pages 335-352, June.
    5. Saravana Ravindran & Manisha Shah, 2020. "Unintended Consequences of Lockdowns: COVID-19 and the Shadow Pandemic," NBER Working Papers 27562, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    6. Dara Lee Luca & Emily Owens & Gunjan Sharma, 2015. "Can Alcohol Prohibition Reduce Violence against Women?," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 105(5), pages 625-629, May.
    7. Lance Lochner & Enrico Moretti, 2004. "The Effect of Education on Crime: Evidence from Prison Inmates, Arrests, and Self-Reports," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 94(1), pages 155-189, March.
    8. Soares, Rodrigo R., 2004. "Development, crime and punishment: accounting for the international differences in crime rates," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 73(1), pages 155-184, February.
    9. Steve Gibbons, 2004. "The Costs of Urban Property Crime," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 114(499), pages 441-463, November.
    10. Mahmud, Mahreen & Riley, Emma, 2021. "Household response to an extreme shock: Evidence on the immediate impact of the Covid-19 lockdown on economic outcomes and well-being in rural Uganda," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 140(C).
    11. Morgan Kelly, 2000. "Inequality And Crime," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 82(4), pages 530-539, November.
    12. Brush, Jesse, 2007. "Does income inequality lead to more crime? A comparison of cross-sectional and time-series analyses of United States counties," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 96(2), pages 264-268, August.
    13. Choe, Jongmook, 2008. "Income inequality and crime in the United States," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 101(1), pages 31-33, October.
    14. Sunita Kishor & Kiersten Johnson, 2006. "Reproductive health and domestic violence: Are the poorest women uniquely disadvantaged?," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 43(2), pages 293-307, May.
    15. W. David Allen, 2007. "The Reporting and Underreporting of Rape," Southern Economic Journal, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 73(3), pages 623-641, January.
    16. W. Groot & H. M. van den Brink, 2010. "The effects of education on crime," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 42(3), pages 279-289.
    17. Barua, Rashmi & Goel, Prarthna & Sane, Renuka, 2017. "The Effect of Age-Specific Sex Ratios on Crime: Instrumental Variable Estimates from India," Working Papers 17/214, National Institute of Public Finance and Policy.
    18. Farzana Afridi & Abhiroop Mukhopadhyay & Soham Sahoo, 2016. "Female labor force participation and child education in India: evidence from the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme," IZA Journal of Labor & Development, Springer;Forschungsinstitut zur Zukunft der Arbeit GmbH (IZA), vol. 5(1), pages 1-27, December.
    19. W. David Allen, 2007. "The Reporting and Underreporting of Rape," Southern Economic Journal, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 73(3), pages 623-641, January.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Bebonchu Atems, 2020. "Identifying the Dynamic Effects of Income Inequality on Crime," Oxford Bulletin of Economics and Statistics, Department of Economics, University of Oxford, vol. 82(4), pages 751-782, August.
    2. Kausik Chaudhuri & Payel Chowdhury & Subal Kumbhakar, 2015. "Crime in India: specification and estimation of violent crime index," Journal of Productivity Analysis, Springer, vol. 43(1), pages 13-28, February.
    3. Kangoh Lee, 2018. "Unemployment and crime: the role of apprehension," European Journal of Law and Economics, Springer, vol. 45(1), pages 59-80, February.
    4. Neil Metz & Mariya Burdina, 2018. "Neighbourhood income inequality and property crime," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 55(1), pages 133-150, January.
    5. Nguyen, Hieu T.M., 2019. "Do more educated neighbourhoods experience less property crime? Evidence from Indonesia," International Journal of Educational Development, Elsevier, vol. 64(C), pages 27-37.
    6. Goh, Lim Thye & Law, Siong Hook, 2023. "The crime rate of five Latin American countries: Does income inequality matter?," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 86(C), pages 745-763.
    7. Altindag, Duha T., 2012. "Crime and unemployment: Evidence from Europe," International Review of Law and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 32(1), pages 145-157.
    8. Manea, Roxana Elena & Piraino, Patrizio & Viarengo, Martina, 2023. "Crime, inequality and subsidized housing: Evidence from South Africa," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 168(C).
    9. Povilas Lastauskas & Eirini Tatsi, 2013. "Spatial Nexus in Crime and unemployment in Times of crisis: Evidence from Germany," Cambridge Working Papers in Economics 1359, Faculty of Economics, University of Cambridge.
    10. Soeren C. Schwuchow, 2023. "Organized crime as a link between inequality and corruption," European Journal of Law and Economics, Springer, vol. 55(3), pages 469-509, June.
    11. 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.
    12. Najmeh Izadi, 2012. "The Effect of Income Inequality on Property Crime: Evidence from Iran," Journal of Economics and Behavioral Studies, AMH International, vol. 4(5), pages 245-251.
    13. Abebe Hailemariam & Sefa Awaworyi Churchill & Russell Smyth & Kingsley Tetteh Baako, 2021. "Income inequality and housing prices in the very long‐run," Southern Economic Journal, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 88(1), pages 295-321, July.
    14. Raul Caruso & Adelaide Baronchelli, 2013. "Economic aspects of the complementarity between corruption and crime: evidence from Italy in the period 1996-2005," International Journal of Monetary Economics and Finance, Inderscience Enterprises Ltd, vol. 6(2/3), pages 244-260.
    15. Satadru Das & Naci Mocan, 2020. "Analyzing The Impact Of The World'S Largest Public Works Project On Crime," Economic Inquiry, Western Economic Association International, vol. 58(3), pages 1167-1182, July.
    16. Yamamura, Eiji, 2009. "Formal and informal deterrents of crime in Japan: Roles of police and social capital revisited," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics (formerly The Journal of Socio-Economics), Elsevier, vol. 38(4), pages 611-621, August.
    17. Sebastian Leitner, 2015. "Effects of Income Inequality on Population Health and Social Outcomes at the Regional Level in the EU," wiiw Working Papers 113, The Vienna Institute for International Economic Studies, wiiw.
    18. Brutti, Zelda & Montolio, Daniel, 2021. "Preventing criminal minds: Early education access and adult offending behavior," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 191(C), pages 97-126.
    19. Jonck, Petronella & Goujon, Anne & Testa, Maria Rita & Kandala, John, 2015. "Education and crime engagement in South Africa: A national and provincial perspective," International Journal of Educational Development, Elsevier, vol. 45(C), pages 141-151.
    20. Yu Liu & Thomas M. Fullerton Jr. & Nathan J. Ashby, 2013. "Assessing The Impacts Of Labor Market And Deterrence Variables On Crime Rates In Mexico," Contemporary Economic Policy, Western Economic Association International, vol. 31(4), pages 669-690, October.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    COVID-19; lockdown; crimes against women; zero-inflated negative binomial; district-level; India;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • C33 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Multiple or Simultaneous Equation Models; Multiple Variables - - - Models with Panel Data; Spatio-temporal Models
    • J16 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Economics of Gender; Non-labor Discrimination
    • J78 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Labor Discrimination - - - Public Policy (including comparable worth)

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:sae:jinter:v:35:y:2022:i:2:p:216-247. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: SAGE Publications (email available below). General contact details of provider: .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.