A Brief Empirical Note on the Impact of Welfare Benefit Levels on Property Crime in the United States

Cebula, Richard (1990): A Brief Empirical Note on the Impact of Welfare Benefit Levels on Property Crime in the United States. Published in: Public Finance/Finances Publiques , Vol. 46, No. 3 (15 December 1991): pp. 512-516.

Abstract

This study hypothesizes that welfare benefit levels constitute an alternative source of income to property crime. Consequently, higher welfare levels should at the margin reduce the attractiveness of perpetrating property crime. Evidence from the largest metropolitan areas in the United States support the hypothesis.

• Item Type: MPRA Paper
• Language: English
• Keywords: opportunity costs; welfare levels; property crime
• Subjects: D - Microeconomics > D1 - Household Behavior and Family Economics > D19 - Other; D - Microeconomics > D7 - Analysis of Collective Decision-Making > D72 - Political Processes: Rent-Seeking, Lobbying, Elections, Legislatures, and Voting Behavior; D - Microeconomics > D7 - Analysis of Collective Decision-Making > D78 - Positive Analysis of Policy Formulation and Implementation; H - Public Economics > H3 - Fiscal Policies and Behavior of Economic Agents > H31 - Household; H - Public Economics > H8 - Miscellaneous Issues > H89 - Other

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