Introduction

Chapters in this book

1. Frontmatter i
2. Contents vii
3. Acknowledgments xi
4. Introduction 1
5. I. Overview: Latin American Exceptionalism?
6. 1. Understanding High Crime Rates in Latin America: The Role of Social and Policy Factors 19
7. II. The Economics of Crime Meets Latin America
8. 2. Capital Crimes: Kidnappings and Corporate Investment in Colombia 63
9. 3. The Cost of Avoiding Crime: The Case of Bogotá 101
10. 4. Do Conflicts Create Poverty Traps? Asset Losses and Recovery for Displaced Households in Colombia 137
11. 5. Crime Distribution and Victim Behavior during a Crime Wave 175
12. 6. Assessing São Paulo’s Large Drop in Homicides: The Role of Demography and Policy Interventions 207
13. 7. The Quality of Life in Prisons: Do Educational Programs Reduce In- Prison Conflicts? 239
14. III. International Evidence
15. 8. What Do Economists Know about Crime? 269
16. 9. Peaceable Kingdoms and War Zones: Preemption, Ballistics, and Murder in Newark 305
17. 10. Crime Displacement and Police Interventions: Evidence from London’s “Operation Theseus” 359
18. 11. The Impact of Incentives on Human Behavior: Can We Make It Disappear? The Case of the Death Penalty 379
19. 12. Does Arrest Deter Violence? Comparing Experimental and Nonexperimental Evidence on Mandatory Arrest Laws 421
20. Contributors 457
21. Contributors 461
22. Subject Index 467