Crime and Self-Control Revisited: Disentangling the Effect of Self-Control on Risk and Social Preferences

Arbeitspapier

In economic models, risk and social preferences are major determinants of criminal behavior. In criminology, low self-control is considered a fundamental cause of crime. Relating the arguments from both disciplines, this paper studies the relationship between self-control and both risk and social preferences. To exogenously vary the level of self-control, we use a well-established experimental manipulation. We find that low self-control causes less risk-averse behavior. The effect of self-control on social preferences is not significant. In sum, our findings support the proposition that low self-control is a facilitator of crime. While our study is motivated by the literature on the determinants of criminal behavior, it has important implications for dual-system models and documents endogeneity of economic preferences.

Object Details

• Language: Englisch

References and Relationships

• Bibliographic citation: Series: IZA Discussion Papers ; No. 8109

Classification and Topics

• Classification: Wirtschaft ; Illegal Behavior and the Enforcement of Law ; Taxation and Subsidies: Externalities; Redistributive Effects; Environmental Taxes and Subsidies ; Design of Experiments: Laboratory, Individual
• Subject: criminal behavior ; risk preferences ; social preferences ; ego-depletion ; dual-system models ; experiment ; endogeneity of economic preferences

Contributors, Places and Time

• Event: Geistige Schöpfung
• (who): Friehe, Tim ; Schildberg-Hörisch, Hannah
• Event: Veröffentlichung
• (who): Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA)
• (where): Bonn
• (when): 2014

Further information

• Handle: http://hdl.handle.net/10419/96731
• Last update: 10.03.2025, 11:43 AM CET