Urbanization, Inequality, Lifestyles and Robbery: A Comprehensive Model

Robbery is a unique crime with various explanations of its etiology. This study integrates several macro-level sociological theories of criminality and victimization into a comprehensive model, thereby locating the structural factors that cause robbery to vary from place to place. Three main conceptual determinants of robbery are identified: 1) the urbanization perspective, 2) relative deprivation theory, and 3) the lifestyle / routine activity approach. The hypothesized effects of these constructs on robbery are elucidated as is the relations among them. Using UCR data in a path model with appropriate controls, we find that urbanization and lifestyles have significant effects on the robbery rate; inequality's influence on robbery is mediated by the index of lifestyles. We briefly discuss the need for additional theorizing and research on macrosociological models of crime causation.