What Causes Intentional Homicide?

Latin American and Caribbean countries are world leaders in intentional homicide rates. Our estimates suggest that the intentional homicide rate in the Latin America and Caribbean region is 40 percent higher than the average for the rest of the world. The intentional homicide rate for a group of violent countries (Brazil, Colombia, El Salvador, Guatemala and Jamaica) is nearly 58 percent higher than the world's average. Utilizing an international panel data set to study the determinants of intentional homicide, we demonstrate that intentional homicide is highly inert, counter-cyclical, declines with development and rises with violence and income inequality