DP14850 The credibility revolution in the empirical analysis of crime

Author(s):	Paolo Pinotti
Publication Date:	June 2020
Keyword(s):	Economics of crime, identification, Measurement error, Quasi-experiments
JEL(s):	K42
Programme Areas:	Labour Economics, Public Economics
Link to this Page:	cepr.org/active/publications/discussion_papers/dp.php?dpno=14850

I review recent developments in the economic analysis of crime, focusing in particular on organized crime and corruption. I first discuss the main challenges to the empirical identification of causal relationships -- namely, measurement error due to endogenous reporting of crime and the fact that randomized controlled trials are rarely an option when studying crime. I then discuss recent advancements made possible by the combination of detailed micro-data and quasi-experimental methods.