Abstract
Most previous empirical comparative studies of homicide examine homicide rates
across nations or subnational units within a single country. This study is the first in
which a European cross-national city comparison is made. The article aims to provide
insight into the extent that the homicide rates are related to the social and economic
forces characterizing a sample of European cities. Derived from theories rooted in classic
works, including social disorganization, strain, and urbanism, are six hypothesized
effects of structural forces on homicide rates. Analyses show that cities’ deprivation and
population structure indexes are strong predictors of homicide rates. The predicted
effects of unemployment rates, population heterogeneity, and age structure on homicide
rates, however, were not consistently corroborated by these results. Comparing
Eastern and Western European countries, the authors also find support for the influence
of the country’s level of development on city-level homicide rates.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 167 |
Number of pages | 1 |
Journal | Homicide Studies |
Volume | 11 |
Issue number | 3 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 2007 |
Keywords
- homicide rates
- cross-national studies
- European homicides
- city homicides