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The China Syndrome in US: Import Competition, Crime, and Government Transfer

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  • Che, Yi
  • Xu, Xun

Abstract

In this paper, we exploit the exogenous rise of Chinese imports in US to investigate the effect of import competition on crime at county level. Our results indicate that counties with high exposure to Chinese import competition are with high crime rates while the exposure effect on property crime is much larger than that for violent crime: one standard deviation increase of exposure will increase 2.1 more violent crimes in the county while such increase of exposure will cause 26.5 more property crimes. Interestingly, we find that the crime impact of exposure to Chinese import competition disappears in counties with high government transfer.

Suggested Citation

  • Che, Yi & Xu, Xun, 2015. "The China Syndrome in US: Import Competition, Crime, and Government Transfer," MPRA Paper 68135, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    • Handle: RePEc:pra:mprapa:68135
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Justin R. Pierce & Peter K. Schott, 2020. "Trade Liberalization and Mortality: Evidence from US Counties," American Economic Review: Insights, American Economic Association, vol. 2(1), pages 47-64, March.
    2. Yi Che & Yi Lu & Justin R. Pierce & Peter K. Schott & Zhigang Tao, 2016. "Does Trade Liberalization with China Influence U.S. Elections?," NBER Working Papers 22178, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    3. Alberto Ortega & Ema Di Fruscia & Bryn Louise, 2021. "Trade Liberalization And Racial Animus," Contemporary Economic Policy, Western Economic Association International, vol. 39(1), pages 194-204, January.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Chinese Import Competition; US Crime; Government;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • F14 - International Economics - - Trade - - - Empirical Studies of Trade
    • F16 - International Economics - - Trade - - - Trade and Labor Market Interactions
    • K42 - Law and Economics - - Legal Procedure, the Legal System, and Illegal Behavior - - - Illegal Behavior and the Enforcement of Law

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