Deterrence and Geographical Externalities in Auto Theft

A-Tier
Journal: American Economic Journal: Applied Economics
Year: 2013
Volume: 5
Issue: 4
Pages: 92-110

Score contribution per author:

4.022 = (α=2.01 / 1 authors) × 2.0x A-tier

α: calibrated so average coauthorship-adjusted count equals average raw count

Abstract

Understanding the degree of geographical crime displacement is crucial for the design of crime prevention policies. This paper documents changes in automobile theft risk that were generated by the plausibly exogenous introduction of Lojack, a highly effective stolen vehicle recovery device, into a number of new Ford car models in some Mexican states, but not others. Lojack-equipped vehicles in Lojack-coverage states experienced a 48 percent reduction in theft risk due to deterrence effects. However, 18 percent of the reduction in thefts was displaced toward unprotected Lojack models in non-Lojack states, providing new evidence of geographical crime displacement in auto theft.

Technical Details

RePEc Handle
repec:aea:aejapp:v:5:y:2013:i:4:p:92-110
Journal Field
General
Author Count
1
Added to Database
2026-01-25