Inequality and Crime in China

Jiangli Zhu and Zilian Li ()
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Jiangli Zhu: School of Journalism & Communication, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210032, China
Zilian Li: School of Business, Jiangsu Normal University, Xuzhou 221116, China

Frontiers of Economics in China-Selected Publications from Chinese Universities, 2017, vol. 12, issue 2, 309-339

Abstract: This paper attempts to investigate comprehensively, a ¡°U¡±-shaped relationship between income inequality and crime rates in China after building a cost-benefit analysis model, by using time series data from 1981¨C2012 and panel data from 1999¨C2012. The empirical results show that: firstly, in the time series model, the U-shaped relationships between inequality and the total crime rate and rates of various crimes except from smuggling, are very significant in the period of 1981¨C2012, secondly, the panel threshold models show that inequality and crime tend to be correlated positively with each other during 1999¨C2012, because the inequality level during this period is much higher than the turning points of inequality estimated in the time series models, although three regions with different development levels are located in different parts of a U-shaped curve between inequality and crime.

Keywords: inequality; crime; categories of crime (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: D63 E25 K42 O53 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2017
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:fec:journl:v:12:y:2017:i:2:p:309-339

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