Free to Punish? The American Dream and the Harsh Treatment of Criminals /

We describe the evolution of selective aspects of punishment in the US over the period 1980-2004. We note that imprisonment increased around 1980, a period that coincides with the "Reagan revolution" in economic matters. We build an economic model where beliefs about economic opportunities...

Ausführliche Beschreibung

Gespeichert in:
1. Verfasser:
Di Tella, Rafael
Körperschaft:
National Bureau of Economic Research
Weitere Verfasser:
Dubra, Juan
Format:
Elektronisch E-Book
Sprache:
Englisch
Veröffentlicht:
Cambridge, Mass. National Bureau of Economic Research 2011.
Zusammenfassung:
We describe the evolution of selective aspects of punishment in the US over the period 1980-2004. We note that imprisonment increased around 1980, a period that coincides with the "Reagan revolution" in economic matters. We build an economic model where beliefs about economic opportunities and beliefs about punishment are correlated. We present three pieces of evidence (across countries, within the US and an experimental exercise) that are consistent with the model.
Umfang:
1 online resource: illustrations (black and white);
Anmerkungen:
August 2011.
Schlagworte: