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Immigration, Regional Conditions, and Crime: Evidence from an Allocation Policy in Germany

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  • Piopiunik, Marc

    (Ifo Institute for Economic Research)

  • Ruhose, Jens

    (University of Kiel)

Abstract

After the collapse of the Soviet Union, more than 3 million people with German ancestors immigrated to Germany under a special law granting immediate citizenship. Exploiting the exogenous allocation of ethnic German immigrants by German authorities across regions upon arrival, we find that immigration significantly increases crime. The crime impact of immigration depends strongly on local labor market conditions, with strong impacts in regions with high unemployment. Similarly, we find substantially stronger effects in regions with high preexisting crime levels or large shares of foreigners.

Suggested Citation

  • Piopiunik, Marc & Ruhose, Jens, 2015. "Immigration, Regional Conditions, and Crime: Evidence from an Allocation Policy in Germany," IZA Discussion Papers 8962, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    • Handle: RePEc:iza:izadps:dp8962
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    allocation policy; crime; immigration;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • F22 - International Economics - - International Factor Movements and International Business - - - International Migration
    • J15 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Economics of Minorities, Races, Indigenous Peoples, and Immigrants; Non-labor Discrimination
    • K42 - Law and Economics - - Legal Procedure, the Legal System, and Illegal Behavior - - - Illegal Behavior and the Enforcement of Law
    • R10 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - General Regional Economics - - - General

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