Alcohol consumption is widely believed to influence criminal activity, and numerous sociological, criminological, and psychological studies demonstrate an apparent positive correlation between drinking and crime. Using a multiattribute model of offender and victim behavior, this study examines...

pt. I. Theoretical and empirical developments : Becker, Ehrlich. and beyond -- pt. II. Economic analysis of the public production of criminal justice -- pt. III. Crime and the economy -- pt. IV. Controversies and debates in the economics-of-crime literature.

Using a panel of state-level data over the years 1982-2000, this study explores the potential relationship between alcohol policy, alcohol consumption, and rape by considering a number of theoretical and methodological issues. First, the potential relationship is examined in the context of an...