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Demand for public safety

Author

Listed:
  • Pradhan, Menno
  • Ravallion, Martin

Abstract

In public safety of less concern to poor people? What about people in poor areas? How is demand for public safety affected by income inequality? Is there a self-correcting mechanism whereby higher crime increases demand for public safety? The authors study subjective assessments of public safety using a comprehensive socioeconomic survey of living standards in Brazil. They find public safety to be a normal good at the household level. Marginal income effects are higher for the poor, so inequality reduces aggregate demand for public safety. Less public safety generates higher demand for improving it. Living in a poor area increases demand at given own-income. So does living in an area with higher average education.

Suggested Citation

  • Pradhan, Menno & Ravallion, Martin, 1999. "Demand for public safety," Policy Research Working Paper Series 2043, The World Bank.
    • Handle: RePEc:wbk:wbrwps:2043
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Marcel Fafchamps & Christine Moser, 2003. "Crime, Isolation and Law Enforcement," Journal of African Economies, Centre for the Study of African Economies, vol. 12(4), pages 625-671, December.
    2. Bourguignon Francois, 2009. "Crime as a Social Cost of Poverty and Inequality: A Review Focusing on Developing countries," Revista Desarrollo y Sociedad, Universidad de los Andes,Facultad de Economía, CEDE, September.
    3. Fafchamps, Marcel & Minten, Bart, 2003. "Theft And Rural Poverty: Results Of A Natural Experiment," 2003 Annual Meeting, August 16-22, 2003, Durban, South Africa 25902, International Association of Agricultural Economists.
    4. Fafchamps, Marcel & Minten, Bart, 2006. "Crime, Transitory Poverty, and Isolation: Evidence from Madagascar," Economic Development and Cultural Change, University of Chicago Press, vol. 54(3), pages 579-603, April.
    5. Ulrike Grote & Thanh-Tung Nguyen & Trung Thanh Nguyen & Frank Neubacher, 2022. "Applying the routine activity approach to crime victimization in rural Southeast Asia," TVSEP Working Papers wp-025, Leibniz Universitaet Hannover, Institute of Development and Agricultural Economics, Project TVSEP.

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