The vagaries of variables: Towards a standardised approach for variable selection in spatial crime research

Abstract

Studies using the social disorganisation theory as a framework to explain crime are commonplace globally. There are numerous inconsistencies however in the operationalisation of the theory with researchers using a plethora of different variables to represent the central tenets of the theory namely socio-economic deprivation, family disruption, residential mobility and ethnic heterogeneity. These inconsistencies bring into question the validity and reliability of the results especially when the selection of variables varies so considerably across local and international contexts. In this study we show how the use of different variables to operationalise these tenets can produce vastly different results when examining the causes of crime in the township of Khayelitsha in South Africa. We conclude by arguing for the potential standardisation of variable selection in spatial crime research using the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) global indicators as a guiding framework. We believe this is particularly pertinent if researchers are interested in undertaking cross-national comparative studies of crime.