Inequality and Crime: Separating the Effects of Permanent and Transitory Income*
区分了永久收入和暂时性收入的不平等对犯罪率的不同影响，发现永久收入不平等显著增加总犯罪和财产犯罪，而暂时性收入不平等无显著影响。
Abstract Earlier studies on income inequality and crime have typically used total income or total earnings. However, it is quite likely that it is the changes in permanent rather than in transitory income that affects crime rates. The purpose of this paper is therefore to disentangle the two effects by, first, estimating region‐specific inequality in permanent and transitory income and, second, estimating crime equations with the two separate income components as explanatory variables. The results indicate that it is important to separate the two effects; while an increase in the inequality in permanent income yields a positive and significant effect on total crimes and three different property crimes, an increase in the inequality in transitory income has no significant effect. Using a traditional, aggregate, measure of income yields insignificant effects on crime.