Air Pollution and Criminal Activity: Microgeographic Evidence from Chicago
利用芝加哥2001-2012年犯罪地理定位数据，比较高速公路上下风向的犯罪率，发现空气污染会增加暴力犯罪，表明污染通过更广泛的渠道影响福利和行为。
A growing literature documents that air pollution adversely impacts health, productivity, and cognition. This paper provides the first evidence of a causal link between air pollution and aggressive behavior, as documented by violent crime. Using the geolocation of crimes in Chicago from 2001–2012, we compare crime upwind and downwind of major highways on days when wind blows orthogonally to the road. Consistent with research linking pollution to aggression, we find that air pollution increases violent crime on the downwind sides of interstates. Our results suggest that pollution may reduce welfare and affect behavior through a wider set of channels than previously considered.