Assessing the Effects of Social Disorganization on Crime in Texas Border Counties: A Time-Series Cross-Sectional Analysis from 1990 to 2007

Guided by social disorganization theory, this study examines the relationship between structural factors and juvenile property crime in the 43 counties that form the Texas border region over an 18 year period. Measures are included for per capita income, unemployment, ethnic heterogeneity, residential instability, and urbanization, and fixed-effects panel regression is employed for the analysis. The results indicate that the structural factors associated with social disorganization theory are predictive of juvenile property crime within the region as a whole, and, while the other measures function similarly in both rural and urban environments, the effect of per capita income on delinquency is significantly larger in urban environments.

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Science

Level thesis:degree_level

Masters

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Criminal Justice

Grantor

Texas State University-San Marcos

Year dc:date.issued

2010

Author dc:creator

• Allen, Jonathan G.

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Cancino, Jeffrey M.

Committee members dc:contributor.committeemember

• Blair, J. Pete
• Vasquez, Bob E.
• Martinez, Pablo E.

• social disorganization
• Latino
• rural
• border

Language dc:language.iso

en

Handle dc:identifier.uri

https://hdl.handle.net/10877/2441

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:digital.library.txst.edu:10877/2441