This paper explores the main challenges in measuring violent crime. Most violent crime data originate from civilian calls for service that result in a police report. We review research on the factors influencing whether victims contact the police and on police report-writing practices. We examine how these factors affect research that estimates the causal impact of policies and interventions on violent crime, highlighting how shifts in victim and police reporting can introduce bias in these estimates. Finally, we assess the strengths and limitations of various data sources for measuring violent crime and provide some key lessons for future research.
Stringent immigration policies may discourage civilians, particularly unauthorized immigrants or their neighbors, from contacting police due to fear of deportation, potentially reducing recorded crime without an actual drop in criminal activity. The 287(g) program enables local law enforcement to collaborate with ICE through various agreements: some more aggressive (task force and hybrid models, or "active" models) and others more limited (warrant and jail models). Active models, by extending immigration enforcement into communities, may suppress civilian reporting. Limited models, focused on jail settings, likely have less impact on community-police interactions. Additionally, police departments may adjust officer reporting behaviors in response to 287(g) adoption, particularly under active models where officers have more discretion.
Current research finds little change in crime resulting from mass deportation policies targeting noncitizens with non-immigration criminal convictions (Hines & Peri, 2019; Miles & Cox, 2014). I propose that this result may be driven by heterogeneous effects of deportation policies on different crime types. My empirical approach uses an event study to examine different trends over time for various crime types and models the impact of the U.S.' Secure Communities program on legal and criminal employment.
We assess the impact of industrial policy on economic growth and future innovation, focusing on China’s semiconductor industry. In 2015, the Chinese government unveiled "Made in China 2025." The plan aims to transform the country into a global leader in high-tech manufacturing (particularly through semiconductor production).
We examine China's strategy to enhance its position in the global semiconductor industry. Amid rising trade tensions and increased industrial policy planning, both China and the United States have committed substantial investments to secure a reliable supply of domestically produced chips. The note discusses the prospects of China's efforts in this area.
I examine the effects of flooding on diarrhea and acute respiratory infection after Typhoon Labuyo in the Philippines. Using ArcGIS and NASA satellite data, I identified each household’s distance from the nearest flooded area. I constructed a spatial regression discontinuity design, comparing children exposed to flooding to children living just outside the flood border. My research contributed a novel flooding measure, as previous studies relied on government reports.