Crime economics in its fifth decade

P.J. Cook, S. Machin, O. Marie, G. Mastrobuoni

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapterAcademic

Abstract

The economics of crime has been an active field of research for nearly 50 years. Among its contributions to the study of crime and crime control are these: a normative framework for evaluation of criminal justice policies; use of sophisticated quantitative methods to analyze the causes of crime and the effects of crime-control measures in this framework; a conception of criminal behavior as individual choice, influenced by perceived consequences; and the aggregation of individual choices to a systems framework for understanding crime rates and patterns. Thus the economists have brought with them a strong presumption that criminal behavior can be usefully modeled using the same conceptual apparatus that economic science has developed for risky decision making, labor supply, consumer and firm behaviour, and even market structure and performance. This “technology transfer” to the criminal domain, initiated by gary becker in 1968, has proven productive for both scholars and policymakers.
Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationLessons from the economics of crime
Subtitle of host publicationWhat reduces offending
EditorsP.J. Cook, S. Machin, O. Marie, G. Mastrobuoni
Place of PublicationCambridge, Massachusetts, USA
PublisherMIT Press
Pages1-16
Number of pages240
ISBN (Print)978-0-262-01961-3
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Jan 2013

Publication series

SeriesCESifo Seminar Series

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