Crime rates in Latin America are among the highest in the world and, alarmingly, in several countries they have steadily risen over the past two decades, making crime the primary concern of
many citizens in the region. And yet, despite the prominence of the problem, there has been a lack of systematic effort to study crime in the region or the effectiveness of policies designed
to tackle it. This book aims to improve the quality of current debate on causes and solution by applying recent developments in the economics of crime.
The Economics of Crime addresses a variety of topics, including the impact of kidnappings on corporate investment, mandatory arrest laws, education in prisons, and the relationship
between poverty and crime. The book also presents research from outside the region, illustrating the broad range of approaches that have been fruitful in studying crime in developed nations.
Greatly increasing our understanding of this pressing issue, The Economics of Crime will be vital for researchers, policy makers, and students of both crime and Latin America.
