Violent-Crime Rates and Racial Composition: Covergence Over Time
- 1 November 1995
- journal article
- research article
- Published by University of Chicago Press in American Journal of Sociology
- Vol. 101 (3) , 578-610
- https://doi.org/10.1086/230754
Abstract
Considerable research reports that racial composition strongly affects violent-crime rates. Unfortunately, most research ignores the possibility that violent-crime rates may affect racial composition. Using a sample of U. S. cities, the authors examine the reciprocal effects of racial composition and violent-crime rates over the last 40 years. While racial composition strongly affects the change in violent-crime rates from 1980 to 1990, it only minimally affects changes in rates for the previous three decades; but violent-crime rates (especially robbery) substantially affect the change in racial composition for all four decades. Indeed, robbery rates appear to play a significant role in the white flight from central cities.Keywords
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