Income inequality, poverty and crime across nations
Paul-Philippe Pare1, Richard Felson
1Department of Sociology, University of Western Ontario.
The British Journal of Sociology
|September 25, 2014
Summary
Income inequality does not correlate with crime rates like homicide, assault, robbery, burglary, or theft when poverty is accounted for. This suggests national income inequality levels may not significantly impact criminal behavior likelihood.
Area of Science:
- Criminology
- Sociology
- Economics
Background:
- Income inequality is often theorized to be a driver of crime.
- Previous research has yielded mixed results on the relationship between inequality and crime.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between income inequality, poverty, and various crime types.
- To determine if income inequality independently predicts criminal behavior after controlling for poverty.
Main Methods:
- Multi-level analyses were conducted using data from the International Crime Victimization Survey.
- Statistical controls for poverty were applied to assess the unique effect of income inequality.
Main Results:
- Income inequality showed no significant relationship with homicide rates when poverty was controlled.
- Inequality was also unrelated to assault, robbery, burglary, and theft after accounting for poverty levels.
- Findings align with recent research suggesting a lack of direct correlation.
Conclusions:
- Poverty, not income inequality, appears to be a more critical factor associated with crime rates.
- Theoretical underpinnings suggesting a direct link between national income inequality and criminal behavior warrant re-examination.
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