Abstract
This paper investigates the influence of friends on crime, using data I collected among
the homeless. To estimate the causal effects of friends and of the share of criminal friends
on crime, I rely on two instruments. The first is the share of rainy days during one's first
year as homeless: rainfall fosters homeless's concentration in sheltered places and increases the
probability of interactions. The second is the share of inmates released during one's first year as
homeless, which a¤ects the supply of criminal friends. I find that one additional friend decreases
the probability of incarceration but criminal friends increases it.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | n/a-n/a |
| Journal | Economic Journal |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 2016 |
Keywords
- homelessness, crime
