The Impact of Social Capital on Crime: Evidence from the Netherlands

Semih Akçomak and Bas ter Weel

No 3603, IZA Discussion Papers from Institute of Labor Economics (IZA)

Abstract: This paper investigates the relation between social capital and crime. The analysis contributes to explaining why crime is so heterogeneous across space. By employing current and historical data for Dutch municipalities and by providing novel indicators to measure social capital, we find a link between social capital and crime. Our results suggest that higher levels of social capital are associated with lower crime rates and that municipalities’ historical states in terms of population heterogeneity, religiosity and education affect current levels of social capital. Social capital indicators explain about 10 percent of the observed variance in crime. It is also shown why some social capital indicators are more useful than others in a robustness analysis.

Keywords: social capital; the Netherlands; crime (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: A13 A14 K42 Z13 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 87 pages
Date: 2008-07
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-law, nep-soc and nep-ure
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (8)

Published - published in: Regional Science and Urban Economics, 2012, 42 (4), 323-340

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https://docs.iza.org/dp3603.pdf (application/pdf)

Related works:
Journal Article: The impact of social capital on crime: Evidence from the Netherlands (2012)
Working Paper: The impact of social capital on crime: Evidence from the Netherlands (2009)
Working Paper: The Impact of Social Capital on Crime: Evidence from the Netherlands (2008)
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