conditions under which the involvement of a country in a “knowledge society” produces a decrease in crime level. …

Using local administrative data from 1826 to 1936, we document the evolution of crime rates in 19th century France and … we estimate the impact of a negative income shock on crime. Our identification strategy exploits the phylloxera crisis … this shock to identify its impact on property and violent crime rates, as well as minor offences. Our estimates suggest …