Economic Approach To Crime Analysis

An Economic Approach to Crime Ann Mary George 1313626

The economic approach to crime is the least developed and utilized. Gordon Tullock in the article “An economic approach to crime” demonstrates the utility of economic perspective and for this purpose analyses 2 extensive personal areas that is motor vehicle code violation and tax evasion .One has a clear idea about the consequences of the violation of the former but our knowledge and experience are rather less in the case of latter.

With the increase of vehicles being parked alongside the street led to rampant congestion. Due to the limited parking space ,the first come first serve basis was practiced but was criticised by the citizens hence governmental bodies decided to have fairer distribution of parking space (i.e. decision was to vacate the spaces at some specified time and police was instructed to ticket cars and fine them if parked beyond the time limit.) therefore either the person had to choose between removing his car within the time limit or pay the fine .Over parking is the a result of not only deliberate desion but also absentmindedness .The absence of criminal intent is not regarded as an excuse by the law .To stop making an absentminded person violate parking laws the decision bodies decided to increase the fines as higher fines would put pressure on the person and would train him to remember as to remove his car .Metered parking area is the answer to the question on enforcement of the law as it would maximise

FINES + COINS INSERTED - COST OF ENFORCEMENT SYSTEM
Another example of traffic offense is speeding .By enforcing a legal maximum on the speed one can reduce the deaths and injuries caused by speeding of the vehicles. This would cause inconvenience to many as 1. Additional time spent in travelling 2.Additonal fuel consumption 3. Pleasure and 4.diversion of economic activity due to slowing of traffic. Hence important to balance and work put an optimal level of speed which would minimise cost and reduce accidents .Tullock pointed out that no one has performed these calculations due to the unwillingness to put a value on deaths and injuries as to be compared to the material costs of delay. The statement “lowering the speed would reduce the death toll” has been sidelined and showed great reluctance too as frightened to use a conversion ratio in which lives are worth some “finite amount of inconvience.”
Tullock put the above in numerical values and assumed that one fatal accident worth $500000 in inconvience to drivers[1]
Some important features of the law are-
1.Use of simple limit law is dictated by the problems of