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Inequality and Crime: Separating the Effects of Permanent and Transitory Income

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Earlier studies on income inequality and crime have typically used total income or total earnings. However, it is quite likely that it is changes in permanent rather than in transitory income that affects crime rates. The purpose of this paper is therefore to disentangle the two effects by, first, estimating region-specific inequality in permanent and transitory income and, second, estimating crime equations with the two separate income components as explanatory variables. The results indicate that it is important to separate the two effects; while an increase in the inequality in permanent income yields a positive and significant effect on total crimes and three different property crimes, an increase in the inequality in transitory income has no significant effect on any type of crime. Using a traditional, aggregate, measure of income yields mainly insignificant effects on crime.

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  • Dahlberg, Matz & Gustavsson, Magnus, 2005. "Inequality and Crime: Separating the Effects of Permanent and Transitory Income," Working Paper Series 2005:20, Uppsala University, Department of Economics.
    • Handle: RePEc:hhs:uunewp:2005_020
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Crime; Earnings dynamics; Inequality;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • C33 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Multiple or Simultaneous Equation Models; Multiple Variables - - - Models with Panel Data; Spatio-temporal Models
    • D31 - Microeconomics - - Distribution - - - Personal Income and Wealth Distribution
    • J39 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Wages, Compensation, and Labor Costs - - - Other
    • K40 - Law and Economics - - Legal Procedure, the Legal System, and Illegal Behavior - - - General

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