The value of Non-randomized policy experiments
A carefully designed and well-executed randomized control trial minimizes the selection problem and greatly helps researchers in their search of causality. But this does not mean that the use of …
Course: Economics of Crime
The value of Non-random policy experiments: Data Analysis
The following graphs present crime rates in Milwaukee, Boston, Seattle, and Columbus between 1994 and 1998. Do you think that the Operation Ceasefire (introduced in 1996) was effective in lowering …
Closing Remarks
I hope you enjoyed the course (I certainly did!), and would like to thank you for being part of it. Further Learning If you are interested in learning more about …
Strengths and limitations of randomized control trials
How do findings from non-experimental data and randomized control trials complement each other? What are some potential problems that researchers may face when applying their findings from RCTs to real-life …
Certainty, Severity, and Celerity
A series of examples in which an increased probability and severity of punishment deter would-be criminals from offending. However, there is an important dimension of punishment that has been relatively …
Crime as a Rational Choice (for one last time)
Before we wrap up this course, let’s talk about the rational choice model of crime for one last time. Economists view crime as the result of a rational choice. An …
Course Summary
During the last six weeks, we have seen contributions made by economists in understanding our crime problems. Economists use the rational choice model of crime to explain why people commit …
Do Preventive Police Patrols Reduce Crime?
The rational choice model (as well as common wisdom) tells us that frequent preventive police patrol should deter potential criminals from offending by increasing their perceived likelihood of apprehension and …
Housing and Crime
How does one’s place of residence affect his criminal risk? Crime data show that a lot more crimes take place in socially and economically disadvantaged neighborhoods than their more affluent …
What Is Hawaii’s Opportunity Probation with Enforcement (HOPE)?
The decision to commit crime can be affected by various factors, including police, prison, schooling, housing, welfare, alcohol regulation, and peer effects. In spite of their differences in empirical settings …
Design your own research question
Think about your own research question. Think about which data and empirical methods you will use to answer that question. How do you plan to recover a causal relationship from …
Summary of Week 5
This week, we saw how crime may be influenced by policy measures other than police and prison. Government policies on public education and alcohol use regulation can have important consequences …
Welcome to Week 6
Do you know of any randomized policy experiment that took place in your city and/or country?
Juvenile Delinquency: Is It Influenced by Peer Groups?
“Walk with the wise and you become wise, but the companion of fools fares badly.” Proverbs 13:20 Economists found many instances in which important life decisions are influenced by one’s …
Did Legalization of abortions reduce crime?
In their highly influential (and controversial) study, economists John Donohue and Steven Levitt argue that the legalization of abortion in the United States in the early 1970s caused a big …