Template-Type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0
Author-Name: Stuart McIntyre
Author-Name-First: Stuart
Author-Name-Last: McIntyre
Author-Email: s.mcintyre@strath.ac.uk
Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Economics, University of Strathclyde
Author-Name: Donald Lacombe
Author-Name-First: Donald
Author-Name-Last: Lacombe
Author-Email: donald.lacombe@mail.wvu.edu
Author-Workplace-Name: Regional Research Institute, West Virginia University,
Title: Personal Indebtedness, Spatial Effects and Crime
Abstract: There is a long and detailed history of attempts to understand what causes crime. One of the most prominent strands of this literature has sought to better understand the relationship between economic conditions and crime. Following Becker (1968), the economic argument is that in an attempt to maintain consumption in the face of unemployment, people may resort to sources of illicit income. In a similar manner, we might expect ex-ante, that increases in the level of personal indebtedness would be likely to provide similar incentives to engage in criminality. In this paper we seek to understand the spatial pattern of property and theft crimes using a range of socioeconomic variables, including data on the level of personal indebtedness.
Length: 11 pages
Creation-Date: 2012-05
Revision-Date: 
Publication-Status: Published
File-URL: http://www.strath.ac.uk/media/1newwebsite/departmentsubject/economics/research/researchdiscussionpapers/2012/12-09-Final.pdf
File-Format: Application/pdf
Number: 1209
Classification-JEL: R1, K42, C11, C21
Keywords: Spatial Econometrics, Crime, Personal Debt, Economic Conditions
Handle: RePEc:str:wpaper:1209