DEPARTMENT OF ECONOMICS
ECON315 M24W70: ECONOMICS OF CRIME
Course Outline
Professor:
Office:
Tel. (Office):
E-mail:
Office Hours:
Ahmed Hoque, PhD
N/A
N/A
Ahmed.Hoque@viu.ca
Please see below.
Communication: Email communication and, if needed, ZOOM video meeting replace the
conventional Office Hours of the professor during the term. Students are encouraged to
communicate via email for any specific question/issue. Emails would be replied assessing the
importance of the subject matter in a timely fashion. Students are requested to follow
standard email writing style, particularly about the salutation and student identification.
1. Calendar course description
An introduction to economics and econometric models towards explaining issues of crime
and punishment. Deals with the economic approach of evaluating incentives and
disincentives associated with criminal activity. Role of social factors and the criminal justice
system in shaping policies set forth to deal with such crime is also examined.
2. Learning outcomes
At the end of the course the student should be able to
➢ understand various concepts, issues and models of crime in economics.
➢ apply models in the areas such as property crimes, crimes against people, victimless
crimes and crimes against the state.
➢ understand the empirical evidence and debates about ways to deal with crimes
➢ understand an introductory level of the criminal justice system as it relates to the main
players that determine crime outcomes.
➢ critically consider and evaluate at the intermediate level policies aimed at prevention or
reduction of crime from an economic viewpoint.
➢ observe an improvement in their research and communication skills to a point where they
can question the methods and standards of economic knowledge
1
3. Prerequisites
One of ECON 211, ECON 212, MGMT 292, third-year standing, or permission of instructor.
4. Course materials
Text (optional)
D. Hellman and N. Alper (2006) Economics of Crime, 6th edition, Pearson Publishing
B. L. Benson and R. L. Zimmerman (2010) Handbook on the Economics of Crime, Edward Elgar
Publishing
Yezer, Anthony (2014). Economics of Crime and Enforcement. Routledge - Taylor & Francis,
New York
Earling, E. et al. (2006). Economics of Crime. Foundation and Trends in Microeconomics, Vol 2
(3), p. 205-279
Supplementary readings
Throughout the course, a number of academic papers/articles published in economic, law,
criminology and sociology journals will be read and discussed. Articles will be announced
during the term in a timely manner. For historical and contemporary data on crime,
students are requested to visit, but not limited to, the following websites:
• RCMP database (http://www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/en)
• Statcan (http://www5.statcan.gc.ca)
• FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (https://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/ucr/ucr)
• Bureau of Justice Statistics (http://www.bjs.gov/)
• Interpol crime areas (http://www.interpol.int/Crime-areas)
All course materials, i.e., lecture notes, reading materials, papers, etc., and announcements
will be posted on VIULearn course page. Students are strongly advised to visit the course
site regularly and keep their email information up to date with the system.
5. Basis of student assessment
The final grade will be determined based on the following assessment criteria
Tests (2)
Individual term paper
50%
50%
Test (50%)
There are two exams for this course, and each of them is worth 25% of the final grade.
Exams contain long answer questions. Questions are drawn from text/study materials and
related academic papers/reports referred to the lecture notes. It is students’ responsibility
to collect/obtain the papers/reports and study them (that are mostly available online and in
some cases a student may need to search through the university library platform). Exam
dates and syllabus are as follow:
Test I
May 29, 2024
Syllabus: Topic 1-4
Test II
June 21, 2024
Syllabus: Topic 5-8
2
Term Paper (50%)
Students are required to write an individual term paper for this course. Each student finds a
crime topic of his/her interest. It is a student’s responsibility to collect related data and
evidence from reliable/authentic sources for the research. Please see your VIULearn page for
more information/instructions on the paper writing. You must submit your proposal and
final paper in dropboxes created in VIULearn page – no email attached submission will be
considered.
Proposal (5%): Students are required to write a proposal of their research approved by
the Professor by no later than fourth week of the course (May 31, 2024). The proposal
contains a proposed title, a brief description on importance of the topic, methodology
(what kind of analysis to be done) and expected outcomes/concluding remarks. The
proposal is generally 2-3 pages long with references.
Final Report (45%): The final report is normally due on the last day of the course.
However, given the test on the last day of the course, the submission date for the report
is set on June 24. A term paper is normally 20-25 pages long including the reference list
and appendices. Please make sure that your paper maintains standard formatting style.
Writing style and help
Faculty of Management (Business) requires the APA style of referencing for academic
papers. Resources for using APA are available from the VIU Writing Centre (Library,
Room 474). You can find their hours of operation and access to online student resources
(including tutorials and a printable Quick Guide at: http://sites.viu.ca/writingcentre/
Academic Misconduct
Academic misconduct includes, but is not limited to, giving and receiving information
during any test or exam, using unauthorized sources of information during any test;
plagiarizing; fabrication, cheating, and, misrepresenting the work of another person as
your own, facilitation of academic misconduct, and under certain conditions, nonattendance.
Plagiarism and Cheating
Students are expected to observe the same standards of scholarly integrity as their
academic and professional counterparts. Students, who are found to have engaged in
unethical academic behaviour are subject to penalty by the University.
6. Grading Scale
Letter
Grade
A+
A
AB+
B
B-
Mark
(%)
90-100
85-89
80-84
76-79
72-75
68-71
Grade
Point
4.33
4.00
3.67
3.33
3.00
2.67
Letter
Grade
C+
C
CD
F
3
Mark
(%)
64-67
60-63
55-59
50-54
0 - 49
Grade
Point
2.33
2.00
1.67
1.00
0.00
7. Course Schedule and Exams
Week
Topic
Topic 1: Introduction to the Economics of Crime
Issues: Definition of economics of crime, interpreting and comparing crime statistics, and
determinants of crime
1
Topic 2: Economic impacts of criminal activity and the rationality of crime
Issues: Defining crime, measuring the cost of crime and valuation methods. Economic analysis
of illegal activities
2
Topic 3: An economic model of criminal behavior
Issues: A cost-benefit analysis of crime. Expected values, supply curve of crime and public
policy options.
3
Topic 4: Allocation of criminal justice resources
Issues: A comparative study of costs of preventative alternatives. Costs of the legal system,
victims and agencies.
Exam 1: May 29
4
5
6
7
Topic 5: Crimes against property
Issues: Use of elasticity concepts to determine the economic costs of crimes against property
Topic 6: Crimes against persons
Issues: Use of elasticity concepts to evaluate the impact of crimes on price and output. For
example, market for murder.
Lecture 7: Victimless Crimes
Issues: An analytical framework for victimless crimes, Economic costs of, and public policies
towards victimless crimes.
Topic 8: Market for Heroin and Cocaine
Issues: History and market for Heroin and Cocaine, Heroin and Cocaine in Canada
Exam 2: June 21
4