Study shows allocation of police resources affects economic welfare, inequality
IDecisions about how to allocate police resources in a community are likely to influence not only crime but also housing prices, overall economic welfare and social inequality, according to a new study by economists at Indiana University and the University of Maryland, according to an IU press release. The study, “Stirring up a hornets' nest: Geographic distribution of crime,” develops a model for examining the behavior of socioeconomic groups in response to two possible strategies: one in which police are concentrated in certain areas and another in which they are dispersed equally across the city, according to a press release. The researchers conclude that equal dispersal of police will lead to a city that is economically integrated, with housing prices comparable from one neighborhood to the next.
