The role of social capital in the victimization risk against property: evidence from Brazil*

Abstract The economic model of crime presupposes that individuals evaluate the decision to commit a crime rationally. A more inclusive version of this model would include social capital as a factor influencing criminal activity. The amount of social capital that exists within a group can be used to explain criminal behavior, and an increase in the level of social capital can be a factor capable of preventing crime. This study tests the hypothesis that increasing the level of social capital reduces the risk of victimization against property. Results from variations of an IV-Probit model were used to evaluate data from Latin American Public Opinion Project surveys conducted in Brazil. These results suggest that a higher level of social capital among individuals increases the likelihood that they will cooperate for mutual benefit, such as combating crime.

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Moreira,Gustavo Carvalho, Kassouf,Ana Lucia, Justus,Marcelo
Format: Digital revista
Language:English
Published: Instituto de Economia da Universidade Estadual de Campinas 2019
Online Access:http://old.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0104-06182019000200563
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