Does Poverty Relief Spending Reduce Crime? Evidence from Argentina

20 Pages Posted: 13 Aug 2012

See all articles by Osvaldo Meloni

Osvaldo Meloni

National University of Tucuman

Multiple version iconThere are 2 versions of this paper

Date Written: August 12, 2012

Abstract

A large body of empirical research suggests that welfare spending reduces crime. Contrary to this dominant finding, a few recent studies conclude that there is no relationship between several measures of welfare spending and serious crime. This paper contributes to the debate using data from the largest poverty alleviation program launched by the Argentinean government to cope with the deleterious effects of the 2002 crisis featuring double-digit unemployment and half of the population below the poverty line. Province – level dynamic panel data reveals that the cash transfers program had a negative impact total crime although the effect was rather weak. The analyses of various types of crime show that the influence of the Argentine poverty relief spending was greater in Property Crimes than Crime against Persons, with the highest effect on larceny

Keywords: Crime, Welfare Spending, Dynamic Panel Data, Argentina

JEL Classification: K4, I3, D72, P16

Suggested Citation

Meloni, Osvaldo, Does Poverty Relief Spending Reduce Crime? Evidence from Argentina (August 12, 2012). European Business Research Conference Procedings 2012 , Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2128351 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2128351

Osvaldo Meloni (Contact Author)

National University of Tucuman ( email )

Avenida Independencia 1900
San Miguel de Tucuman (4000)
San Miguel de Tucuman, Tucuman
Argentina

HOME PAGE: http://www.face.unt.edu.ar/inveco

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