Routine Activities: A Cross-National Assessment of a Criminological Perspective.

Bennett, Richard R.

The routine activity approach to the etiology of crime has gained considerable attention in the last few years. Its propositions have been tested using a variety of data sources and analysis methods. To date, however, the majority of analyses have used data collected within one nation and have employed unidimensional indicators. This article explores the macrostructural tenets of the approach based upon a sample of 52 nations spanning a 25-year period (1960-1984). The findings offer qualified support for the approach and uncover interesting anomalies. First, the model appears to be crime-specific, applying more to property crime than personal crime. Second, the best fitting model is nonlinear and specifies threshold effects. These findings are discussed in light of current research on the routine activity approach.

CRIME; CRIMINOLOGY; SURVEYS; THEORY; SOCIAL problems; CRIME prevention

Social Forces, 1991, Vol 70, Issue 1, p147

0037-7732

Academic Journal

10.2307/2580066