Definition
Economics of crime aims at studying, theoretically and empirically, which are the determinants of criminal behavior and how it is affected by incentives and punishment. In 1968, Becker presents a paper that radically changes the way of thinking about criminal behavior. Since the beginning of 1980s, Becker’s paper opens the door to a new field of empirical research whose main purpose is to verify and study the economic variables that determine criminal choices and behaviors of agents.
Introduction
In 1968 Gary Becker published “Crime and Punishment: An Economic Approach,” a paper that radically changed the economic approach to analyzing criminal (as well as all types of illegal) behavior. Criminal choice conduct is not determined by mental illness or bad attitudes. Rather, it is an individual’s choice, based on a maximization problem in which agents compare the costs and benefits of misbehavior. The costs are given by the probability of being arrested, the likely punishment,...
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References
Beccaria C (1819) An Essay on Crime and Punishments, second American edition published by Philip H Nicklin. Translated from the Italian: “Dei delitti e delle pene” (published in 1764 by Marco Coltellini)
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Bentham J (1789) An introduction to the principles of morals and legislation, Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1907 (first published in 1789)
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Buonanno, P., Vargas, J.F. (2018). Crime: Economics of, the Standard Approach. In: Marciano, A., Ramello, G. (eds) Encyclopedia of Law and Economics. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-7883-6_743-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-7883-6_743-1
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Crime: Economics of, the Standard Approach- Published:
- 27 July 2023
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-7883-6_743-2
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Crime: Economics of, the Standard Approach- Published:
- 12 April 2018
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-7883-6_743-1