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Shared Legacies, Disparate Outcomes: Why American South Border Cities Turned the Tables on Crime and Their Mexican Sisters Did Not

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  • Pedro H. Albuquerque

    (Texas A&M International University)

Abstract

The article evaluates crime trends in south border American and Mexican sister cities using panel data analysis. The region offers a unique assessment opportunity since cities are characterized by shared cultural and historical legacies, institutional heterogeneity, and disparate crime outcomes. Higher homicide rates on the Mexican side seem to result from deficient law enforcement. Higher population densities in Mexican cities appear to also be a factor. Cultural differences, on the other hand, have been decreasing, and apparently do not play a substantial role. The homicide rate dynamics show opportunistic clustering of criminal activity in Mexican cities, while no clustering is found on the American side. Crime also appears to spill from Mexican cities into American cities. Homicide rates on both sides of the border have been falling faster than countrywide rates, leading, in the case of American cities, and against stereotypes, to rates below the countrywide rate in 2001.

Suggested Citation

  • Pedro H. Albuquerque, 2005. "Shared Legacies, Disparate Outcomes: Why American South Border Cities Turned the Tables on Crime and Their Mexican Sisters Did Not," Law and Economics 0511002, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    • Handle: RePEc:wpa:wuwple:0511002
    Note: Type of Document - pdf; pages: 45
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. René Cabral & André Varella Mollick & Eduardo Saucedo, 2016. "Violence in Mexico and its effects on labor productivity," The Annals of Regional Science, Springer;Western Regional Science Association, vol. 56(2), pages 317-339, March.
    2. Pedro H Albuquerque & Prasad R Vemala, 2023. "Femicide Rates in Mexican Cities along the US-Mexico Border," Working Papers hal-04167930, HAL.
    3. René Cabral & André Varella Mollick & Eduardo Saucedo, 2019. "Foreign Direct Investment In Mexico, Crime, And Economic Forces," Contemporary Economic Policy, Western Economic Association International, vol. 37(1), pages 68-85, January.
    4. Meirav Aharon-Gutman & David Burg, 2021. "How 3D visualization can help us understand spatial inequality: On social distance and crime," Environment and Planning B, , vol. 48(4), pages 793-809, May.
    5. Roberto Coronado & Eduardo Saucedo, 2019. "Drug-related violence in Mexico and its effects on employment," Empirical Economics, Springer, vol. 57(2), pages 653-681, August.
    6. Cabral Torres René & Mollick André V. & Saucedo Eduardo, 2018. "The Impact of Crime and Other Economic Forces on Mexico's Foreign Direct Investment Inflows," Working Papers 2018-24, Banco de México.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Crime; Border; Law Enforcement; Justice; Immigration; Mexico;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • K42 - Law and Economics - - Legal Procedure, the Legal System, and Illegal Behavior - - - Illegal Behavior and the Enforcement of Law
    • O18 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Urban, Rural, Regional, and Transportation Analysis; Housing; Infrastructure

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