Socioeconomic conditions and property crime: A comprehensive review and test of the professional literature

被引:83
作者
Allen, RC
机构
[1] Department of Economics, Valdosta State University, Valdosta
关键词
D O I
10.1111/j.1536-7150.1996.tb02311.x
中图分类号
F [经济];
学科分类号
02 ;
摘要
A comprehensive review of the crime literature indicates varying and often opposing hypotheses of relationships between property crime and socioeconomic conditions such as poverty, business cycle conditions, demographics, criminal justice system actions, and family structure. Employing measures of each of the hypothesized factors, time-series models for robbery, burglary; and vehicle theft are estimated from yearly and national Uniform Crime Report (UCR) data for the period 1959 through 1992 and are used to test these hypotheses' current empirical relevance. The empirical findings selectively confirm the importance of macroeconomic stability and criminal justice system actions in reducing property crime activity. In contrast, decreases in absolute poverty and general income inequality are associated with increased criminal activity; and age demographics and family/community structure apparently have little impact on any of the analyzed property-crime trends. A reduction in inflation apparently decreases property crimes.
引用
收藏
页码:293 / 308
页数:16
相关论文
共 64 条
[11]   UNEMPLOYMENT AND CRIME RATES IN THE POST-WORLD-WAR-II UNITED-STATES - A THEORETICAL AND EMPIRICAL-ANALYSIS [J].
CANTOR, D ;
LAND, KC .
AMERICAN SOCIOLOGICAL REVIEW, 1985, 50 (03) :317-332
[12]  
CARRHILL RA, 1973, J PUBLIC ECON, V2, P289
[13]   INEQUALITY, OPPORTUNITY, AND CRIME RATES IN CENTRAL CITIES [J].
CARROLL, L ;
JACKSON, PI .
CRIMINOLOGY, 1983, 21 (02) :178-194
[14]   PERCEIVED RELATIVE DEPRIVATION AS A CAUSE OF PROPERTY CRIME [J].
CHESTER, CR .
CRIME & DELINQUENCY, 1976, 22 (01) :17-30
[15]   RATES OF CRIME AND UNEMPLOYMENT - AN ANALYSIS OF AGGREGATE RESEARCH EVIDENCE [J].
CHIRICOS, TG .
SOCIAL PROBLEMS, 1987, 34 (02) :187-212
[16]   CRIME RATES, CLEARANCE RATES AND ENFORCEMENT EFFORT - CASE OF HOUSTON, TEXAS [J].
CLONINGER, DO ;
SARTORIUS, LC .
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF ECONOMICS AND SOCIOLOGY, 1979, 38 (04) :389-402
[17]  
COHEN J, 1987, DETERRENCE INCAPACIT, P187
[18]   PROPERTY CRIME RATES IN THE UNITED-STATES - A MACRODYNAMIC ANALYSIS, 1947-1977 - WITH EX ANTE FORECASTS FOR THE MID-1980S [J].
COHEN, LE ;
FELSON, M ;
LAND, KC .
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF SOCIOLOGY, 1980, 86 (01) :90-118
[19]   SOCIAL-CHANGE AND CRIME RATE TRENDS - ROUTINE ACTIVITY APPROACH [J].
COHEN, LE ;
FELSON, M .
AMERICAN SOCIOLOGICAL REVIEW, 1979, 44 (04) :588-608
[20]   AGE STRUCTURE AND CRIME - SYMMETRY VERSUS ASYMMETRY AND THE PROJECTION OF CRIME RATES THROUGH THE 1990S [J].
COHEN, LE ;
LAND, KC .
AMERICAN SOCIOLOGICAL REVIEW, 1987, 52 (02) :170-183