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The impact of age distribution, unemployment and income concentration on property crime rates, 1960-1989

H. Wade German, University of Nebraska - Lincoln

Abstract

The relationship between socioeconomic conditions and property crime rates has been a subject of interest to social scientists for many decades. In recent years many of these studies have revolved around how unemployment and income distribution affect property crime. The numerous studies conducted in this area have resulted in a confusing array of conclusions. The inconsistent nature of past studies crosses all research boundaries; cross-sectional, time-series and pooled cross-sectional approaches. Additionally, studies that focus on states, metropolitan areas or cross-national data have reported conflicting results on the relationship between the socioeconomic environment and property crime rates. Architects of socioeconomic policy cannot operate effectively in designing policies to lower property crime rates in the absence of definitive and supportive studies indicating strong and consistent relationships of unemployment and income distribution on property crime rates. Since national policy must be hinged on empirical results that verify theoretical foundations, this dissertation uses longitudinal analyses to attempt to unravel these interrelated considerations. This research clearly and unambiguously illustrates that the fundamental relationship between age distribution and property crime was changed during the 1980's. It also demonstrates that the specification of a general time-series model of property crime can be achieved in accordance with theoretical foundations.

Subject Area

Criminology

Recommended Citation

German, H. Wade, "The impact of age distribution, unemployment and income concentration on property crime rates, 1960-1989" (1994). ETD collection for University of Nebraska-Lincoln. AAI9430167.
https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/dissertations/AAI9430167

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