Score contribution per author:
α: calibrated so average coauthorship-adjusted count equals average raw count
Working with a unique neighborhood homicide dataset from 2008 to 2010, this paper makes two contributions. First, we capture the importance of the spatial dependence on homicide rates within large urban center neighborhoods. Second, we measure the influence of spatial dependence more precisely by calculating the total, direct, and indirect effects of neighborhood characteristics on homicides. The results show that areas with low homicides rates are surrounded by neighborhoods with high murder rates, and that, despite the significant positive effect of inequality on criminality, this influence is mitigated by the nature of the spatial dependence of criminality among the neighbors.