Date of Award
5-2020
Degree Type
Honors College Thesis
Department
Political Science, International Development, and International Affairs
First Advisor
S. Elif Filiz, Ph.D.
Advisor Department
Political Science, International Development, and International Affairs
Abstract
The literature surrounding variables affecting crime is infinite; however, little of that research, especially in economics, focuses on how hurricanes affect crime. In addition, much of the research that has been conducted on this is conflicting. Thus, this paper seeks to shed light on this topic using Hurricane Katrina’s impact on Louisiana as a case study. Using crime data from the FBI UCR and ICPSR from 1995-2014, I employ a differences-in-differences (DD) strategy to estimate the hurricane’s effect on burglary, larceny, motor vehicle theft, robbery, aggravated assault, and murder. My findings suggest burglary, larceny, and robbery increase following the hurricane, while other crime rates (motor vehicle theft, aggravated assault, and murder) do not change. The results of this study have multiple implications and present numerous avenues for future research.
Copyright
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Recommended Citation
Casey, Eleanor A., "The Impact of Hurricane Katrina on Crime in Louisiana" (2020). Honors Theses. 710.
https://aquila.usm.edu/honors_theses/710