September 2, 2026Journal of Economic Literature
Scoring the Behavioral Economics of Crime: Reflections on Unforgiving Places: The Unexpected Origins of American Gun Violence
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Implication
Critical review evaluates behavioral economic models of gun violence, highlighting the need to integrate psychological, cognitive, and neighborhood-level factors into crime policy.
Key Points
- To evaluate Jens Ludwig's behavioral economics framework of gun violence and articulate a multidisciplinary research agenda to resolve key theoretical gaps.
- Conducted a conceptual review and critique of Jens Ludwig’s book Unforgiving Places: The Unexpected Origins of American Gun Violence.
- Synthesized theoretical perspectives across behavioral economics, criminology, sociology, and cognitive psychology to evaluate drivers of violent crime.
- Identifies unaddressed theoretical areas in behavioral crime models, including the link between self-control and cognitive processes, neighborhood informal social control, and environmental toxins on cognition.
- Highlights key empirical challenges, such as the constraints of administrative data, age-specific pathways of firearm possession, and the essential role of police legitimacy.
Cite This Study
Robert J. Sampson (2026) studied this question.