Menon, Carlo and de Blasio, Guido (2013) Down and Out in Italian towns: measuring the impact of economic downturns on crime. SERC Discussion Papers (SERCDP0137). Spatial Economics Research Centre, London School of Economics and Political Science, London, UK.
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Abstract
The paper investigates the effect of local economic conditions on crime. The study focuses on Italy’s local labor markets and analyzes the short-term response of crime to the severe slump of 2007-2009. It shows that the downturn led to a significant increase in economic-related offenses that do not require particular criminal skills or tools (namely, thefts); on the other hand, for offenses for which specific skills and criminal experience are essential (say, robberies) the impact of the crisis was negative. The results also suggest that: i) labor market institutions (i.e. wage supplementary schemes and pro-worker contractual arrangements) had a role in slowing down the effect of the economy on crime; ii) the link between the downturn and crime was weaker in areas where the presence of organized crime is relatively more intensive.
| Item Type: | Monograph (Discussion Paper) |
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| Official URL: | http://www.spatialeconomics.ac.uk/SERC/publication... |
| Additional Information: | © 2013 The Authors |
| Divisions: | Urban and Spatial Programme |
| Subjects: | H Social Sciences > HC Economic History and Conditions H Social Sciences > HN Social history and conditions. Social problems. Social reform |
| JEL classification: | E - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics > E3 - Prices, Business Fluctuations, and Cycles > E32 - Business Fluctuations; Cycles K - Law and Economics > K1 - Basic Areas of Law > K14 - Criminal Law K - Law and Economics > K4 - Legal Procedure, the Legal System, and Illegal Behavior > K42 - Illegal Behavior and the Enforcement of Law |
| Date Deposited: | 28 Jul 2014 08:45 |
| Last Modified: | 11 Sep 2025 04:35 |
| Funders: | Economic and Social Research Council, Department for Business, Innovation & Skills (BIS), Welsh Assembly Government |
| URI: | http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/id/eprint/58314 |
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