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Crime, Justice, and Growth in South Africa: Toward a Plausible Contribution from Criminal Justice to Economic Growth

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  • Christopher Stone

Abstract

Crime in South Africa is high and widely believed to restrain investment. Nevertheless, both the mechanisms through which crime constrains growth and the actions that might be taken to loosen its grip are poorly understood. In light of the limited knowledge in the field and the limited capacity of criminal justice institutions, this paper proposes focusing on two issues: (1) the costs of crime to business, especially household-based enterprises in low-income settlements, and (2) the perception of violent crime. In both cases, the paper proposes a cyclical process of iterative innovation in which government seeks to solve narrowly circumscribed crime problems, and then leverages each success to generate wider hope and confidence in the criminal justice system.

Suggested Citation

  • Christopher Stone, 2006. "Crime, Justice, and Growth in South Africa: Toward a Plausible Contribution from Criminal Justice to Economic Growth," CID Working Papers 131, Center for International Development at Harvard University.
    • Handle: RePEc:cid:wpfacu:131
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    File URL: https://www.hks.harvard.edu/sites/default/files/centers/cid/files/publications/faculty-working-papers/131.pdf
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. da Mata, D. & Deichmann, U. & Henderson, J.V. & Lall, S.V. & Wang, H.G., 2007. "Determinants of city growth in Brazil," Journal of Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 62(2), pages 252-272, September.
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    Cited by:

    1. Tony Roshan Samara, 2010. "Policing Development: Urban Renewal as Neo-liberal Security Strategy," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 47(1), pages 197-214, January.
    2. Syle Krasniqi & Nagip Skenderi, 2025. "Unveiling National Competitiveness: Drivers and Impacts on Productivity," Economic Studies journal, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences - Economic Research Institute, issue 1, pages 3-21.
    3. Enamorado, Ted & López-Calva, Luis F. & Rodríguez-Castelán, Carlos, 2014. "Crime and growth convergence: Evidence from Mexico," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 125(1), pages 9-13.
    4. Breetzke, Gregory Dennis, 2010. "Modeling violent crime rates: A test of social disorganization in the city of Tshwane, South Africa," Journal of Criminal Justice, Elsevier, vol. 38(4), pages 446-452, July.
    5. Mercedes Delgado & Christian Ketels & Michael E. Porter & Scott Stern, 2012. "The Determinants of National Competitiveness," NBER Working Papers 18249, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    6. Tinyiko David Ngoveni & Witness Maluleke & Christopher Mabasa, 2022. "Insights on the use of community policing forum for crime prevention: A case study of the Brooklyn police station, South Africa," International Journal of Research in Business and Social Science (2147-4478), Center for the Strategic Studies in Business and Finance, vol. 11(5), pages 482-492, July.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

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    JEL classification:

    • O55 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economywide Country Studies - - - Africa
    • K42 - Law and Economics - - Legal Procedure, the Legal System, and Illegal Behavior - - - Illegal Behavior and the Enforcement of Law

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