| Abstract: |
The purpose of this paper is to study the relationship between inequality and
crime, with a focus on the Latin America and Caribbean region.We find a
significant, positive, and robust association between these variables. The
results persist if one instruments for inequality with historical variables in
crime regressions, suggesting that a causal interpretation of the estimated
effect is reasonable. Moreover, inequality is the only variable showing this
robust regularity. Education levels, economic activity, income per capita, and
poverty show weaker and unstable relationships with crime. The analysis of the
distribution of crime victimization indicates that men and youth suffer more
crime than women and the elderly. By socio-economic strata, high-income groups
suffer more victimization relative to poorer groups in LAC countries, but the
poor suffer more homicides. |