RT Book
T1 Religiosity and crime: evidence from a city-wide shock
T2 Discussion paper series / IZA
JF Discussion paper series
A1 Lee, Wang-Sheng
A1 Khalil, Umair
A1 Johnston, David
A2 Khalil, Umair
A2 Johnston, David
LA English
PP Bonn, Germany
PB IZA - Institute of Labor Economics
YR 2024
UL https://ixtheo.de/Record/1886456100
AB This paper estimates the impacts of religiosity on criminal activity using a city-wide shock to religious sentiment from a 2015 Papal visit. Using daily data on all reported offences between 2010 and 2015 in Philadelphia at the census tract level and a difference-in-differences approach, we demonstrate significant reductions in less serious crimes in the week of the visit and for several weeks following. Reductions are particularly pronounced for drug offences and in historically Christian areas. Notably, similar crime effects are not found for President Obama's 2015 visit, suggesting changes in police deployment do not drive results.
K1 economics of religion
K1 Deviant behavior
K1 Crime
K1 Graue Literatur