Crime fell sharply in the United States during the Great Recession, at a time of deep economic decline. This was a puzzle: crime is expected to rise, not fall, when unemployment rises. Using a novel identification strategy, I show that unemployment insurance (UI) benefit extensions can account...

We examine the crime-unemployment relationship in 26 EU countries and the possibility of potential asymmetries developing in the presence of labour market policies and/or that of certain structural characteristics. We find that the, otherwise well-established, relationship is strongly moderated...

We explore the extent to which increased import competition affected crime in US labor markets between 1990 and 2007, and whether access to unemployment insurance attenuated this relationship. In the average labor market, property crime rates rose by 1.5 percent following a $1000 per worker...

Empirical evidence reveals that unemployment tends to increase property crime but that it has no effect on violent crime. To explain these facts, we examine a model of criminal gangs and suggest that there is a substitution effect between property crime and violent crime at work. In the model,...

In this paper data from a survey of 1,771 inmates conducted in 31 German prisons provide microeconometric evidence on the relationship between individual anticipated labour market opportunities and the perceived probability of future recidivism. Results show that inmates with poor labour market...

For nearly 50 years academics have been studying how labor markets affect crime. The initial interesting and important theoretical and empirical work generated substantial interest in studying crime among economists, in particular, and scholars in the social sciences more broadly. This...

In this paper data from a survey of 1,771 inmates conducted in 31 German prisons provide microeconometric evidence on the relationship between individual anticipated labour market opportunities and the perceived probability of future recidivism. Results show that inmates with poor labour market...

This paper studies the effects of both labor market conditions and asset poverty on the property crimes involvement of American males. Since the mid 60's the property crimes arrest rate has been four times higher for black males if compared to white ones. Another set of stylised facts show for...

Active labor market programs continue to receive high priority in wealthy countries despite the fact that the benefits appear small relative to the costs. This apparent discrepancy suggests that the programs may have a broader purpose than simply increasing employment - for instance, preventing...

Immigration is one of the most important policy debates in Western countries. However, one aspect of the debate is often mischaracterized by accusations that higher levels of immigration lead to higher levels of crime. The evidence, based on empirical studies of many countries, indicates that...