The Wild West is Wild: The Homicide Resource Curse

Mathieu Couttenier, Pauline Grosjean and Marc Sangnier

No 1605, AMSE Working Papers from Aix-Marseille School of Economics, France

Abstract: We document interpersonal violence as a dimension of the resource curse. We rely on a historical natural experiment in the United States, where mineral discoveries occurred sometimes before, sometimes after formal institutions were established in the county of discovery. In places where mineral discoveries occurred before formal institutions were established, there were more homicides per capita historically and the effect has persisted to this day. Today, the share of homicides and assaults explained by the historical circumstances of mineral discoveries is comparable to the effect of education or income. Our results imply that short-term and quasi-exogenous variations in the institutional environment can lead to large and persistent differences in cultural and institutional development.

Keywords: Homicide; Resource Curse; Mineral Discoveries; US (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: K42 N31 O14 Z13 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 41 pages
Date: 2016-02, Revised 2016-02
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-evo, nep-gro, nep-his and nep-law
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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Related works:
Journal Article: The Wild West IS Wild: The Homicide Resource Curse (2017)
Working Paper: The Wild West IS Wild: The Homicide Resource Curse (2017)
Working Paper: The Wild West is Wild: The Homicide Resource Curse (2016)
Working Paper: The Wild West is Wild: The Homicide Resource Curse (2014)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:aim:wpaimx:1605

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