Do recessions encourage crime?
Yes, says David Downes, professor of criminology at the London School of Economics. No, says Heather Mac Donald, writing a few weeks back in The Wall Street Journal. Downes also suggests that the breakdown of social cohesion – eroding working class institutions, rising inequality – encourages criminality. The conservative counterpoint – again from Mac Donald – also emphasizes cohesion as a buffer against crime, but locates the traditional two-parent family as the fulcrum for social stability.
So the question is: Which correlation implies causation?
Personally, I blame Sting, since the data clearly shows that the highest crime periods in the US came during the peak of his career. Also, he broke up The Police, which obviously would promote lawlessness.Report
Rage Against The Machine broke up, next thing you know, Bush is in the White House.
Thanks, Zack.Report