China's Sex Ratio and Crime: Behavioral Change or Financial Necessity?

Lisa Cameron, Xin Meng () and Dandan Zhang ()
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Dandan Zhang: Peking University

No 9747, IZA Discussion Papers from Institute of Labor Economics (IZA)

Abstract: This paper uses survey and experimental data from prison inmates and comparable non-inmates to examine the drivers of rising criminality in China. Consistent with socio-biological research on other species, we find that China's high sex-ratios are associated with greater risk-taking and impatience amongst males. These underlying behavioral impacts explain some part of the increase in criminality. The primary avenue through which the sex-ratio increases crime, however, is the direct pressure on men to appear financially attractive in order to find a partner in the marriage market. These marriage market pressures result in a higher propensity to commit financially rewarding crimes.

Keywords: sex-ratio; time preferences; risk-taking; marriage markets; crime; one child policy; China (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: J12 O12 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 38 pages
Date: 2016-02
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-cna, nep-law and nep-tra
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

Published - published in: Economic Journal, 2019, 129 (618), 790–820,

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Journal Article: China's Sex Ratio and Crime: Behavioural Change or Financial Necessity? (2019)
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