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.