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The effect of tourism on crime in Italy: a dynamic panel approach

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  • B. Biagi
  • MG. Brandano
  • C. Detotto

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate that, for the case of Italy, ceteris paribus, tourist areas tend to have a greater amount of crime than non-tourist ones in the short and long run. Following the literature of the economics of crime à la Becker (Crime and Punishment - An Economic Approach, 1968) and Enrlich (Participation in Illegitimate Activities - A Theoretical and Empirical Investigation, 1973) and using a System GMM approach for the time span 1985–2003, the authors empirically test whether total crime in Italy is affected by the presence of tourists. Findings confirm the initial intuition of a positive relationship between tourism and crime in destinations. When using the level rather than the rate of total crime and controlling for the equivalent tourists (i.e. the number of tourists per day in a given destination) the effect of the tourist variable is confirmed. Overall results indicate however that the resident population has a greater effect on crime than the tourist population. Therefore, the main explanation for the impact of tourism on crime seems to be agglomeration effects.

Suggested Citation

  • B. Biagi & MG. Brandano & C. Detotto, 2012. "The effect of tourism on crime in Italy: a dynamic panel approach," Working Paper CRENoS 201201, Centre for North South Economic Research, University of Cagliari and Sassari, Sardinia.
    • Handle: RePEc:cns:cnscwp:201201
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    2. Mantobaye Moundigbaye & William Rea & W. Robert Reed, 2016. "More Evidence On “Which Panel Data Estimator Should I Use?”," Working Papers in Economics 16/18, University of Canterbury, Department of Economics and Finance.
    3. Bahodirhon Safarov & Hisham Mohammad Al-Smadi & Makhina Buzrukova & Bekzot Janzakov & Alexandru Ilieş & Vasile Grama & Dorina Camelia Ilieș & Katalin Csobán Vargáné & Lóránt Dénes Dávid, 2022. "Forecasting the Volume of Tourism Services in Uzbekistan," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(13), pages 1-18, June.
    4. Moundigbaye, Mantobaye & Rea, William S. & Reed, W. Robert, 2018. "Which panel data estimator should I use? A corrigendum and extension," Economics - The Open-Access, Open-Assessment E-Journal (2007-2020), Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW Kiel), vol. 12, pages 1-31.
    5. Mehmood, Shafaqat & Ahmad, Zahid & Khan, Ather Azim, 2016. "Dynamic relationships between tourist arrivals, immigrants, and crimes in the United States," Tourism Management, Elsevier, vol. 54(C), pages 383-392.
    6. Daniel Montolio & Simón Planells, 2013. "Does tourism boost criminal activity? Evidence from a top touristic country," Working Papers 2013/4, Institut d'Economia de Barcelona (IEB).
    7. Brida, Juan Gabriel & Del Chiappa, Giacomo & Meleddu, Marta & Pulina, Manuela, 2012. "Cruise tourism exteralities and residents' support: A mixed approach," Economics - The Open-Access, Open-Assessment E-Journal (2007-2020), Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW Kiel), vol. 6, pages 1-26.
    8. Biagi, Bianca & Brandano, Maria Giovanna & Ortega-Argiles, Raquel, 2021. "Smart specialisation and tourism: Understanding the priority choices in EU regions," Socio-Economic Planning Sciences, Elsevier, vol. 74(C).
    9. Natalia Sypion-Dutkowska & Marek Dutkowski, 2021. "Impact of Tourism on Crime in the Polish Coastal Zone," European Research Studies Journal, European Research Studies Journal, vol. 0(Special 4), pages 549-570.
    10. Daniel Montolio & Simón Planells, 2013. "Does tourism boost criminal activity? Evidence from a top touristic country," Working Papers 2013/4, Institut d'Economia de Barcelona (IEB).
    11. Maria Giovanna Brandano & Marta Meleddu, 2021. "Together or not? Spill-over effects of cultural goods displacement," Tourism Economics, , vol. 27(6), pages 1202-1220, September.
    12. Busani Moyo, 2013. "Crime and the Regional Disparities in Tourist Inflows: A Case Study of South Africa," Journal of Economics and Behavioral Studies, AMH International, vol. 5(6), pages 356-375.
    13. Markianos Kokkinos & Andreas Kapardis, 2015. "Disaggregating Tourists In Cyprus By Money Spent And Criminal Offending," Tourism Research Institute, Journal of Tourism Research, vol. 11(1), pages 61-70, September.
    14. Vedran Recher & Ivica Rubil, 2020. "More Tourism, More Crime: Evidence from Croatia," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 147(2), pages 651-675, January.
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    externalities; tourism; crime;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D62 - Microeconomics - - Welfare Economics - - - Externalities
    • K00 - Law and Economics - - General - - - General (including Data Sources and Description)
    • L83 - Industrial Organization - - Industry Studies: Services - - - Sports; Gambling; Restaurants; Recreation; Tourism

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