Freakonomics: A Comparative Analysis

In the chapter “Where Have All the Criminals Gone” found in the book Freakonomics co-authored by Levitt and Dubner, a drastic decrease of crime starting in the 1990’s is observed (Dubner, Levitt 119). In attempt to explain this unexpected occurrence, several factors are examined to determine its correlation to the downward fall of crime rates, one of which, is the arrival of crack cocaine. As stated by Levitt and Dubner, “All told, the crash of the market accounted for roughly 15 percent of the crime drop of the 1980s--... it should be noted that crack was responsible for far more than 15 percent increase of the 1980s…” (135). Using data collected from other researchers, this theory shall either be confirmed or refuted. …show more content…
In approach to this subject, researchers gathered data collected from the FBI and the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) to pinpoint the approximate arrival date of crack cocaine in 27 different metropolitan areas (Grogger, Willis 1-2). After analyzing the data for each individual city, an approximate arrival date supported by both sources is assigned, creating a basis to begin to determine the effects of crack on crime rate (Grogger, Willis 2). Under the speculation that the crack addiction is confined mainly to the metropolitan area, researchers assign data collected from local suburban areas as a control group for comparison to the metropolitan areas (Grogger, Willis 2-3). When compared, the correlation of crack to urban crime rates is clearly defined; “...central cities appear to be more crime-ridden than suburbs. For instance, the mean murder rate in central cities is five times greater than that in the suburbs, the mean rape is nearly four times greater...the mean robbery rate is five times greater....and the mean aggravated assault is approximately three times greater…” (Grogger, Willis 4). Considering that crack is confined only to the urban area, the data is indisputable. Furthermore, in an attempt to better understand the effect of cocaine on crime rates, researchers approach the data from a new angle by comparing the crime rates after the introduction of crack to the crime rates of previous years (Grogger, Willis 4). “For...the index crimes, these estimates suggest that the arrival of crack had sizable and significant positive effects…”; in this situation, the usage of positive refers to a positive numerical increase in crime (Grogger, Willis 4). Finally, researchers create a complex mathematical equation to provide