In many historical episodes, criminal activity displays booms and busts. One clear example is the case of metal crime in the UK (and elsewhere) where, in the face of big increases in value driven by world commodity prices, thefts rose very sharply in the 2000s, after which they fell. This paper...

This paper asks whether social movements taking place on Twitter affect gender-based violence (GBV). Using Twitter data and machine learning methods, we construct a novel data set on the prevalence of Twitter conversations about GBV. We then link this data to weekly crime reports at the federal...

In this paper, I exploit a quasi-random variation in state-level laws that prohibit drunk driving (DUI) checkpoints to estimate the causal effect of DUI checkpoints on traffic fatalities, traffic arrests, and self-reported drunk driving. Leveraging data from the Fatality Analysis Reporting...

What causes adverse policing outcomes, such as excessive uses of force and unnecessary arrests? Prevailing explanations focus on problematic officers or deficient regulations and oversight. Here, we introduce a new, overlooked perspective. We suggest that the cognitive demands inherent in...