The impact of economic opportunity on criminal behavior: Evidence from the fracking boom

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Street, Brittany
• 署名单位: University of Missouri System; University of Missouri Columbia
• 刊物名称: JOURNAL OF PUBLIC ECONOMICS
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0047-2727
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jpubeco.2025.105402
• 发表日期: 2025
• 关键词: crime; Economic opportunity; Fracking

摘要

Theory suggests crime should decrease as economic opportunities increase the returns to legal activities. However, the current literature shows crime increases when areas experience fracking, a source of increased local economic opportunity. This paper reconciles this puzzle by separating out existing residents and isolating local economic effects from changing composition. Specifically, I exploit within-and across-county variation in fracking activities in North Dakota using individual-level data on incumbent residents, mineral lease records, and criminal charges. The results rule out increases in crime for these existing residents and suggest a modest decrease. These results are consistent with theory and in contrast to the observed aggregate increases in crime from fracking, highlighting the importance of compositional changes.