Can governments successfully combat bureaucratic corruption by “hiring integrity” from the private sector? This paper examines the impact of hiring private firms to collect information for government anti-corruption efforts. In the past two decades, a number of developing countries have...

This study contributes to the debate on estimating the size of underground economy, by proposing a reinterpretation of the Currency Demand Approach (CDA). Three main innovations are introduced. First, a direct measure of cash transactions is taken as dependent variable in the money demand...

This study contributes to the debate on estimating the size of underground economy, by proposing a reinterpretation of the Currency Demand Approach (CDA). Three main innovations are introduced. First, a direct measure of cash transactions is taken as dependent variable in the money demand...

This paper estimates the effect of social connectedness on crime across U.S. cities from 1970 to 2009. Migration networks among African Americans from the South generated variation across destinations in the concentration of migrants from the same birth town. Using this novel source of...

Most studies examining the impact of migrants on crime rates in hosting populations are in the context of economic migrants in developed countries. However, we know much less about the crime impact of refugees in low- and middle-income countries - whose numbers are increasing worldwide. This...

Most studies examining the impact of migrants on crime rates in hosting populations are in the context of economic migrants in developed countries. However, we know much less about the crime impact of refugees in low- and middle-income countries - whose numbers are increasing worldwide. This...

Intuitively, by increasing the opportunity cost of engaging in criminal activities, positive economic shocks should reduce crime. However, the empirical evidence on the relationship between economic shocks and criminal behavior is at best ambiguous. This may be because certain types of shocks...

In three distinct disciplines, crime and punishment are studied experimentally: in empirical legal studies, in experimental economics, and an experimental criminology. These three disciplines have surprisingly little interaction. The current paper surveys the rich evidence, and discusses the...