Abstract
Economics examines crime as a special case of maximising behaviour. The literature has developed separately from the economic analysis of law as a part of mainstream applied economics, as economists have mostly concerned themselves, as does this chapter, with the economics of criminal deterrence. We examine deterrence hypotheses, empirical tests of deterrence, other influences on crime such as unemployment, and distinctions between violent and non-violent crime.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
Becker, G. (1968) ‘Crime and Punishment: an Economic Approach’, Journal of Political Economy, 76, pp. 169–217.
Blumstein, A. and Nagin, D. (1977) ‘A Stronger Test of the Deterrence Hypothesis’, Stanford Law Review, 29, pp. 241–76.
Buchanan, C. and Hartley, P. R. (1992) Criminal Choice: The Economic Theory of Crime and its Implications for Crime Control, Policy Monograph 24 (St Leonards, New South Wales: Centre for Independent Studies).
Cameron, S. (1988) ‘Economics of Crime Deterrence’, Kyklos, 41, pp. 301–23.
Carr-Hill, R. and Stern, N. H. (1979) Crime, the Police and Criminal Statistics (New York: Academic Press).
Cook, P. J. and Zarkin, G. A. (1985) ‘Crime and the Business Cycle’, Journal of Legal Studies, 14, pp. 115–28.
Deadman, D. F. and Pyle, D. J. (1993) ‘The Effect of the Abolition of Capital Punishment in Gt Britain: an Application of Intervention Analysis’, Journal of Applied Statistics, 20, pp. 191–206.
Dnes, A. (1996) Economics of Law (London: International Thompson Press).
Ehrlich, I. (1973) ‘Participation in Illegitimate Activities: a Theoretical and Empirical Investigation’, Journal of Political Economy, 81, pp. 521–64.
—, (1975) ‘The Deterrent Effect of Capital Punishment: a Question of Life and Death’, American Economic Review, 65, pp. 397–47.
—, (1977) ‘Capital Punishment and Deterrence: some Further Thoughts’, Journal of Political Economy, 85, pp. 741–88.
Field, S. (1990) ‘Trends in Crime and their Interpretation’, Home Office Research Paper 119 (London: HMSO).
Learner, E. F. (1983) ‘Let’s Take the Con out of Econometrics’, American Economic Review, 23, pp. 31–43.
Lempert, R. (1981) ‘Desert and Deterrence: an Assessment of the Moral Bases of the Case for Capital Punishment’, Michigan Law Review, 79, pp. 1177–1231.
Murray, C. A. and Cox, L. A. (1979) Beyond Probation: Juvenile Corrections and the Chronic Offender (Beverly Hills: Sage)
Nagin, D. S. (1998) ‘Criminal Deterrence Research at the Outset of the Twenty-first Century’, Crime and Justice: A Review of Research, 23, pp. 1–42.
Passell, P. and Taylor, J. B. (1977) ‘The Deterrence Effect of Capital Punishment’, American Economic Review, 67, pp. 445–51.
Posner, R. A. (1985) ‘An Economic Theory of Criminal Law’, Columbia Law Review, 85, pp. 1193–1231.
Pyle, D.J. (1983) The Economics of Crime and Law Enforcement (London: Macmillan).
—, (1989) ‘Economics of Crime in Britain’, Economic Affairs, 9, pp. 6–9.
—, (1993) ‘An Economist Looks at Crime in Britain’. Paper given to the European Policy Forum/Social Market Fund.
—, and Deadman, D. F. (1994) ‘Crime and Unemployment in Scotland: some Further Results’, Scottish Journal of Political Economy, 41, pp. 314–24.
Reilly, B. and Witt, R. (1992) ‘Crime and Unemployment in Scotland: an Econometric Analysis Using Regional Data’, Scottish Journal of Political Economy, 39, pp. 13–28.
Shavell, S. (1985) ‘Criminal Law and the Optimal Use of Non-monetary Sanctions as a Deterrent’, Columbia Law Review, 85, pp. 1232–62.
—, (1993) ‘The Optimal Structure of Law Enforcement’, Journal of Law and Economics, 36, pp. 255–87.
Tullock G. (1968) ‘The Welfare Costs of Tariffs, Monopoly and Theft’, Western Economic Journal, 5, pp. 224–32.
Walmsely, J. (1986) ‘Personal Violence’, Home Office Research Paper 89, London: HMSO.
Willis, K. (1983) ‘Spatial Variations in Crime in England and Wales’, Regional Studies, 17, pp. 261–72.
Wilson, J. and Herrnstein, R. (1985) Crime and Human Nature (New York: Simon and Schuster).
Withers, G. (1984) ‘Crime, Punishment and Deterrence in Australia: an Empirical Investigation’, Economic Record, 60, pp. 176–85.
Witte, A. (1980) ‘Estimating the Economic Model of Crime with Individual Data’, Quarterly Journal of Economics, 94, pp. 57–84.
Wolpin, K. (1978a) ‘An Economic Analysis of Crime and Punishment in England and Wales, 1894–1967’, Journal of Political Economy, 86, pp. 815–40.
—, (1978b) ‘Capital Punishment and Homicide: the English experience’, American Economic Review, 68, pp. 422–427.
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Copyright information
© 2000 Palgrave Macmillan, a division of Macmillan Publishers Limited
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Dnes, A.W. (2000). The Economics of Crime. In: Fielding, N.G., Clarke, A., Witt, R. (eds) The Economic Dimensions of Crime. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-62853-7_3
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-62853-7_3
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, London
Print ISBN: 978-1-349-62855-1
Online ISBN: 978-1-349-62853-7
eBook Packages: Palgrave History CollectionHistory (R0)