Working Paper: CEPR ID: DP6840
Authors: Eleonora Patacchini; Yves Zenou
Abstract: This paper studies the relationship between a community's ethnic population density and its crime rate. We compare the spatial distribution of crime and the black population across the 32 London boroughs. Once endogeneity and sorting issues are taken into account, we find that the higher is the density of the ethnic population in a given borough, the higher is the crime rate. This effect is still positive but lower for neighbouring boroughs and ceases to exist beyond a 40 minute driving distance. Social interactions between individuals of the same ethnic group are the most likely explanation for this positive relationship.
Keywords: crime; ethnic minorities; panel data; social interactions; spatial correlation
JEL Codes: C21; K42; R12
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| social interactions among individuals of the same ethnic group (Z13) | increase in crime rates (K42) |
| social pressures within communities (Z13) | increased crime rates (K42) |
| higher ethnic population density in a borough (R23) | increase in crime rates (K42) |
| density of the ethnic population increases (R23) | crime rate rises (K42) |
| proximity to ethnic population density (R23) | crime rate increases (K42) |