Research Question and Literature Review - Assignment Example

The same case applies to crime which disrupts the social setting of a nation, while affecting the contribution made by the people towards economic growth. Therefore, this topic fits in the context of a socio-economic issue. Researchable question Does unemployment play any role in increasing or decreasing the rate of crime? The personal factors contributing to this question is the observation that most crime is perpetrated by individuals who are idle. This leads to preconceived belief that unemployment plays a role in increasing the rate of crime.

Annotated bibliography Paternoster, Raymond and Bushway Shawn. Theoretical and Empirical Work on the Relationship between Unemployment and Crime. Journal of Quantitative Criminology, 17.4 (2001): 391-407. Feinberg Library. Web. 14 November 2012. Paternoster and Bushway explores the full extent of the connection between unemployment and crime. They establish both the positive and the negative relationship that exists between these two aspects. The assessment of the relationship takes the form of theoretical analysis, with the routine activities theory being applied to portray the negative relationship.

The motivation created by unemployment is analyzed, not only on the basis of the impacts of the motivation, but also based on the time aspect. The issue of whether unemployment motivates crime immediately or there is a time lag between the creation of motivation and the committal of crime is a subject of this study. Causal modeling statistical technique is applied to clearly establish the relation between unemployment and crime. Levitt, Steven. Alternative Strategies for Identifying the Link between Unemployment and Crime.

Journal of Quantitative Criminology, 17.4 (2001): 377-390. Feinberg Library. Web. 14 November 2012. Levitt’s article establishes the possible link between unemployment and crime. To clearly unearth this link, modern state-of-the-art techniques of time series are applied. The analysis of time series data in criminology forms the central theme of the study, with a view to establishing a plausible link between unemployment and crime, based on the time aspect. A critique of the national-level time series data as an analytical tool for establishing the relationship between unemployment and crime is made.

Alternative behavioral explanations for the link between unemployment and crime are given. Alternatives tools such as the panel data set and individual-level are introduced as the alternative tools for establishing the link, in place of the national-level data. A thorough analysis of the importance of proper use of statistical method in answering criminology questions is done. The weaknesses associated with national-level data, individual-level data, panel set data and international-level data as tools of eliciting the link between unemployment and crime are analyzed.

Cantor, David and Land Kenneth. Unemployment and Crime Rate Fluctuations: A Comment on Greenberg. Journal of Quantitative Criminology, 17. 4 (2001): 329-342. Feinberg Library. Web. 14 November 2012. The article by Cantor and Land analyzes the temporal flu actuations in unemployment and establishes how they are related to the rate of crime. The conceptual model of the relationship between aggregate unemployment and rate of crime is discussed. The time series properties of this model are revisited, with a focus on establishing the credibility of the conceptual model.

The assumptions applied by