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Air Pollution and Criminal Activity: Microgeographic Evidence from Chicago

Author

Listed:
  • Evan Herrnstadt
  • Anthony Heyes
  • Erich Muehlegger
  • Soodeh Saberian

Abstract

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.

Suggested Citation

  • Evan Herrnstadt & Anthony Heyes & Erich Muehlegger & Soodeh Saberian, 2021. "Air Pollution and Criminal Activity: Microgeographic Evidence from Chicago," American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, American Economic Association, vol. 13(4), pages 70-100, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:aea:aejapp:v:13:y:2021:i:4:p:70-100
    DOI: 10.1257/app.20190091
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    Cited by:

    1. Gillingham, Kenneth & Huang, Pei, 2021. "Racial disparities in the health effects from air pollution: Evidence from ports," ZEW Discussion Papers 21-058, ZEW - Leibniz Centre for European Economic Research.
    2. Adetutu, Morakinyo O. & Rasciute, Simona, 2024. "Pollution, severe health conditions, and extreme right-wing ideology: A tale of three contemporary challenges," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 237(C).
    3. Harrison Fell & Melinda Sandler Morrill, 2024. "The Impact of Wind Energy on Air Pollution and Emergency Department Visits," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 87(1), pages 287-320, January.
    4. Shr, Yau-Huo & Hsu, Wen & Hwang, Bing-Fang & Jung, Chau-Ren, 2023. "Air quality and risky behaviors on roads," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 118(C).
    5. Shihe Fu & V. Brian Viard, 2022. "A mayors perspective on tackling air pollution," Chapters, in: Charles K.Y. Leung (ed.), Handbook of Real Estate and Macroeconomics, chapter 16, pages 413-437, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    6. Lohmann, Paul M. & Gsottbauer, Elisabeth & You, Jing & Kontoleon, Andreas, 2023. "Air pollution and anti-social behaviour: Evidence from a randomised lab-in-the-field experiment," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 320(C).
    7. Shr, Yau-Huo (Jimmy) & Yang, Feng-An & Chen, Yi-Syun, 2023. "The housing market impacts of bicycle-sharing systems," Regional Science and Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 98(C).
    8. Brian J. Asquith & Margaret C. Bock, 2022. "The Case for Dynamic Cities," Upjohn Working Papers 22-373, W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research.
    9. Feiwei Shen & Qiang Wang & Jing Zou & Huili Yan & Baitao Wang, 2023. "Air Pollution and Migration Decision of Migrants in Low-Carbon Society," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(1), pages 1-18, January.
    10. Guo, Liwen & Cheng, Zhiming & Tani, Massimiliano & Cook, Sarah & Zhao, Jiaqi & Chen, Xi, 2022. "Air Pollution and Entrepreneurship," GLO Discussion Paper Series 1196, Global Labor Organization (GLO).
    11. Batkeyev, Birzhan & DeRemer, David R., 2023. "Mountains of evidence: The effects of abnormal air pollution on crime," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 210(C), pages 288-319.
    12. Luis Sarmiento & Adam Nowakowski, 2023. "Court Decisions and Air Pollution: Evidence from Ten Million Penal Cases in India," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 86(3), pages 605-644, November.
    13. Xinming Du, 2023. "Symptom or Culprit? Social Media, Air Pollution, and Violence," CESifo Working Paper Series 10296, CESifo.
    14. Yao, Yao & Li, Xue & Smyth, Russell & Zhang, Lin, 2022. "Air pollution and political trust in local government: Evidence from China," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 115(C).
    15. Chang, Simon & Chatterjee, Ishita & Yu, Li, 2024. "Ambient Air Pollution and Helping Behavior: Evidence from the Streets in Beijing," IZA Discussion Papers 17011, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    16. Jiang, Hongze & Liang, Pinghan, 2021. "Less Cash, Less Theft? Evidence from Fintech Development in the People’s Republic of China," ADBI Working Papers 1282, Asian Development Bank Institute.
    17. Karamik, Yasemin & von Graevenitz, Kathrine, 2022. "Gone with the wind: The effect of air pollution on crime - Evidence from Germany," ZEW Discussion Papers 22-013, ZEW - Leibniz Centre for European Economic Research.
    18. Hener, Timo, 2022. "Noise pollution and violent crime☆," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 215(C).
    19. Xiaowei Ding & Panfeng Wang & Xuyan Jiang & Wenyi Zhang & Boris I. Sokolov & Yali Liu, 2024. "Impact of Urban Air Quality on Total Factor Productivity: Empirical Insights from Chinese Listed Companies," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(9), pages 1-26, April.
    20. Ayesh, Abubakr, 2023. "Burned agricultural biomass, air pollution and crime," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 122(C).
    21. Soo Hong Chew & Haoming Liu & Alberto Salvo, 2021. "Adversity-hope hypothesis: Air pollution raises lottery demand in China," Journal of Risk and Uncertainty, Springer, vol. 62(3), pages 247-280, June.
    22. Sefa Awaworyi Churchill & Russell Smyth & Trong‐Anh Trinh, 2023. "Crime, Weather and Climate Change in Australia," The Economic Record, The Economic Society of Australia, vol. 99(324), pages 84-107, March.

    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • K42 - Law and Economics - - Legal Procedure, the Legal System, and Illegal Behavior - - - Illegal Behavior and the Enforcement of Law
    • Q53 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics - - - Air Pollution; Water Pollution; Noise; Hazardous Waste; Solid Waste; Recycling

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