Abstract
Research has shown that neoliberal economic policies may increase violence. In this study we extend this logic to create a “neoliberalism-homicide hypothesis.” We test this hypothesis using two global measures of neoliberalism (the Economic Freedom of the World Index and the Index of Economic Freedom) and 2014 homicide rates for 142 nations. Regression analysis provides little support for the neoliberalism-homicide hypothesis using the global indexes. However, when examining factors that make up these indexes we discover that as size of government and tax burden become more neoliberal across nations, homicide rates increase. A post hoc exploratory analysis suggests that the association between government size, spending, taxes, and homicide is largely indirect and manifests through economic inequality and poverty. That is, neoliberal government policies appear to increase poverty and inequality which, in turn, lead to higher rates of homicide. We situate our findings within the broader literature on neoliberalism and violence and suggest directions for future research.
Highlights
The cross-national correlates of homicide have been extensively studied by social scientists (e.g., Chamlin and Cochran 2006; Chamlin and John 2007; Messner, Raffalovich, and Shrock 2002; Messner and Rosenfeld 1997; Nivette 2011; Pridemore 2008, 2002; Pridemore and Trent 2010)
We review the existing literature on cross-national explanations of homicide. We focus on this past cross-national research since theoretical concepts associated with these other theories are often related to concepts that appear in critical discussions of neoliberalism; in addition, we seek to provide context for the control variables used in our analysis of neoliberalism and homicide
While overall indexes of neoliberalism are unrelated to homicide rates when control variables are included in the analysis, two subindicators of neoliberalism are related: government size and tax burden
Summary
The cross-national correlates of homicide have been extensively studied by social scientists (e.g., Chamlin and Cochran 2006; Chamlin and John 2007; Messner, Raffalovich, and Shrock 2002; Messner and Rosenfeld 1997; Nivette 2011; Pridemore 2008, 2002; Pridemore and Trent 2010). A great deal of this literature focuses on political, economic structural changes captured by measures of modernization (e.g., Altheimer 2008; Antonaccio and Tittle 2007; Bjerregaard and Cochran 2008; Lafree and Tseloni 2006), deprivation (e.g., Pridemore 2008, 2011), and political structure (e.g., Krahn, Hartnagel, and Gartrell 1986; Lafree and Tseloni 2006; Li 1995) Absent from these crossnational homicide studies is an empirical test of the effects of neoliberalism, an economic philosophy that has dominated national and international policy agendas for the last 40 years (Harvey 2005). We hypothesize that nations that rank higher on neoliberal indicators will tend to have elevated levels of homicide
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