The vagaries of variables
Towards a standardised approach for variable selection in spatial crime research
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 7920884 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Gretha Groeneveld (University of Pretoria), Gregory Breetzke (0000-0002-0324-2254, University of Pretoria, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2022 |
| Volume | 15 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 152-162 |
| Publication date | 2022-07-01 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Methodological Innovations (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2059-7991 • E-ISSN: 2059-7991 |
| Publisher | SAGE Publications (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1177/20597991221091513 |
| OpenAlex | W4224947511 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 58 |
Studies using the social disorganisation theory as a framework to explain crime are commonplace globally. There are numerous inconsistencies however in the operationalisation of the theory with researchers using a plethora of different variables to represent the central tenets of the theory namely socio-economic deprivation, family disruption, residential mobility and ethnic heterogeneity. These inconsistencies bring into question the validity and reliability of the results especially when the selection of variables varies so considerably across local and international contexts. In this study we show how the use of different variables to operationalise these tenets can produce vastly different results when examining the causes of crime in the township of Khayelitsha in South Africa. We conclude by arguing for the potential standardisation of variable selection in spatial crime research using the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) global indicators as a guiding framework. We believe this is particularly pertinent if researchers are interested in undertaking cross-national comparative studies of crime
Criminology · Ethnic group · Political science · Regional science · Reliability (semiconductor · Selection (genetic algorithm · Sociology · Standardization · Variable (mathematics · Variables · Computer Science · Crime Patterns and Interventions · Crime, Illicit Activities, and Governance · HIV, Drug Use, Sexual Risk · Law
An Empirical Assessment of What We Know About Structural Covariates of Homicide Rates
Replicating Sampson and Groves's Test of Social Disorganization Theory
Spatial Heterogeneity in the Effects of Immigration and Diversity on Neighborhood Homicide Rates
The (in)appropriateness of aggregating across crime types
Community Variations in Violence
El uso de la teoría de la desorganización social para comprender la distribución de homicidios en Bogotá, Colombia
A Critical Reflection on Urban Spatial Planning Practices and Outcomes in Post-Apartheid South Africa
Toward a Theory of Race, Crime, and Urban Inequality
Juvenile Delinquency and Urban Areas
Disadvantage and Neighborhood Violent Crime
Social disorganization and history of child sexual abuse against girls in sub-Saharan Africa
Examining social cohesion and victimization in a Malaysian multiethnic neighborhood
Neighborhood Racial/Ethnic Concentration, Social Disadvantage, and Homicide Risk
Mapping Crime in Savannah
Geography of crime in a Brazilian context
Neighbourhood Structures and Crime
Comparing spatial patterns of robbery
Seeing Disorder
Collective Efficacy as a Task Specific Process
Constructing crime
Social disorganization, Latinos and juvenile crime in the Texas borderlands
Social disorganization, marriage, and reported crime
Neighborhood factors related to the likelihood of successful informal social control efforts
Modeling violent crime rates
Immigration and Crime in an Era of Transformation
A spatial analysis of crime in Vancouver, British Columbia
A Multilevel Analysis of the Risk of Household Burglary in the City of Tianjin, China
Growing Up in a Divided Society
Social Disorganization and Theories of Crime and Delinquency
The Geography of Homicide in São Paulo, Brazil
Volatile Sovereignty
State Security in Transition
A Test of Social Disorganization Theory in High-Risk Urban Neighborhoods
Community Structure and Crime
Unemployment and crime
| Highly cited | No |
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