Veranstaltung: Economics of Crime - Masterseminar (SoSe 2015)

Based on a careful review of the existing literature in the participants’ seminar papers, we will discuss the issue of crime and punishment in this seminar by using theoretical and empirical methods from economic science. While traditional scholarly research in this area by criminologists or sociologists refers to the deviant psychology of the criminal mind or the social forces that would drive someone to crime, economics views most crime as utility-maximizing decisions made in response to incentives. Importantly, these incentives can be altered such that crime is presumably responsive to public policy. Then, economic theory can be used to identify tools to fight criminal activity. Whether or not these tools are effective in the real world, is an empirical matter and will be discussed in the seminar as well.

Topics include:

Theoretical and Empirical Foundations
1. Crime Trends
2. The Economic Approach to Crime
3. The Economic Approach to Organized Crime
4. The Political Economy of Crime

Socio-economic determinants of crime
5. Unemployment and Poverty
6. Education
7. Youth Crime and Social Interaction Effects

Deterrence
8. Police
9. Incapacitation
10. Death Penalty
11. The Boundedly Rational Criminal

Guns, Drugs and Crime
12. Guns
13. Alcohol
14. Cigarette Smuggling
15. Narcotics

Some Controversies and Debates in the Economics of Crime Literature
16. Legalized Abortion
17. Prostitution
18. Human trafficking
19. Corruption
20. Hooliganism

Applications will be accepted until March 15th 2015.

- Seminar Application Form - PDF

- Seminar Application Form - WORD