20687 - ECONOMIC ANALYSIS OF CRIME
Department of Social and Political Sciences
Course taught in English
Go to class group/s: 31
Course Director:
PAOLO PINOTTI
PAOLO PINOTTI
Suggested background knowledge
Students of all study programs are welcome to this class. The approach is quantitative, so a good knowledge of statistics and econometrics from introductory courses is recommended.
Mission & Content Summary
MISSION
The course introduces students to the economic analysis of crime. The analysis is based on the choice-theoretic model of crime. The empirical approach mainly focuses on causal relationships. The methods covered allow students to address questions that are relevant from a social and political perspective: Do longer prison sentences deter crimes What are the economic costs of organized crime Do the police and the judicial system discriminate against minorities What are the effects of immigration on crime How can we detect and curb corruption These are just examples of the type of questions that motivate this course. At the end of the course, students are able to go through the multiple stages of a research project on these topics.
CONTENT SUMMARY
- Challenges to the empirical analysis of crime
Measuring the unmeasurable
Correlation vs. causation
Experiments and quasi-experiments
- The rational-choice model of crime
- The evidence on the economic model of crime: Probability of arrest
The effects of police presence
Racial discrimination in policing
Predictive policing
- The evidence on the economic model of crime: Punishments
Deterrence and incapacitation effects of prison
Death penalty
Open prisons and electronic monitoring
- The evidence on the economic model of crime: Legitimate income opportunities
Education
Labor market opportunities
- Immigration and crime
Perceptions and reality
The effect of legal status on immigrants' propensity to commit crimes
- Organized crime
Economic effects
Political effects
- Corruption
- Drug policy
Effects in destination countries: The opioid epidemics in the US
Effects in origin countries: Drug wars in Mexico
- Miscellaneous topics
The "More guns, less crime" hypothesis
Abortion and crime
Intended Learning Outcomes (ILO)
KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING
At the end of the course student will be able to...
- Understand research papers on crime-related issues.
- Identify interesting research questions in the same field.
- Develop and illustrate a research project.
APPLYING KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING
At the end of the course student will be able to...
- Intepret previous evidence on the causes and consequences of crime.
- Evaluate the impact of anti-crime policies.
- Develop research projects in this field.
Teaching methods
- Face-to-face lectures
- Online lectures
- Guest speaker's talks (in class or in distance)
- Group assignments
DETAILS
- Guest speaker's talks (in class) by policy makers and practitioners involved in anti-crime policies.
- Group assignments: preparation and presentation of a research proposal.
Assessment methods
| Continuous assessment | Partial exams | General exam | |
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ATTENDING STUDENTS
The final grade is based on written final exam and group presentations. Groups consisting of 3-4 students would be formed at the beginning of the course. Each group:
- Discuss a paper among those included in the reference list.
- Present a research project proposal at the end of the course.
The final grade is determined as the maximum between:
- The grade obtained in the final written exam; the weighted average of the final written exam (50%), the grade in the paper discussion (10%), and the presentation of the group project (40%).
- Using this rule, problem sets and group presentations provide an insurance against having a bad day on the exam day.
NOT ATTENDING STUDENTS
The final grade is based on a written exam testing the students' capability to interpret previous evidence on the causes and consequences of crime.
Teaching materials
ATTENDING AND NOT ATTENDING STUDENTS
TO BE DEFINED
Last change 05/03/2024 11:00