Are Crime Rates Really Stationary?

Arbeitspapier

Many empirical studies of the economics of crime focus solely on the determinants thereof, and do not consider the dynamic and cross-sectional properties of their data. As a response to this, the current paper offers an in-depth analysis of this issue using data covering 21 Swedish counties from 1975 to 2008. The results suggest that the four crime types considered are non-stationary, and that this cannot be attributed to county specific disparities, but rather that it is due to a small number of common stochastic trends to which groups of counties tend to revert. The results further suggest that these trends can be given a macroeconomic interpretation. Our findings are consistent with recent theoretical models predicting that crime should be dependent across both time and counties.

Object Details

• Language: Englisch

References and Relationships

• Bibliographic citation: Series: Working Paper ; No. 2009:20

Classification and Topics

• Classification: Wirtschaft ; Multiple or Simultaneous Equation Models: Time-Series Models; Dynamic Quantile Regressions; Dynamic Treatment Effect Models; Diffusion Processes; State Space Models ; Multiple or Simultaneous Equation Models: Panel Data Models; Spatio-temporal Models ; Consumption, Saving, Production, Investment, Labor Markets, and Informal Economy: General (includes Measurement and Data) ; Legal Procedure, the Legal System, and Illegal Behavior: General
• Subject: Crime ; Non-stationary data ; Panel unit root tests ; Common factor

Contributors, Places and Time

• Event: Geistige Schöpfung
• (who): Joakim, Westerlund ; Johan, Blomquist
• Event: Veröffentlichung
• (who): Lund University, School of Economics and Management, Department of Economics
• (where): Lund
• (when): 2009

Further information

• Handle: http://hdl.handle.net/10419/259979
• Last update: 10.03.2025, 11:43 AM CET