The effect of Ponzi schemes on crime: Evidence from the colombian case

This paper estimates the impact of a massive negative income shock led by the simultaneous crash down of several Ponzi schemes (also known as financial ``pyramids"") in Colombia on crime rates at the municipal level. Using novel data on the spatial incidence of the latest wave of Colombian pyramids and their crash down date, I estimate difference-in-differences models with both monthly and yearly frequency. I find that the negative income shock of the pyramids" crash down differentially exacerbates crime in affected municipalities compared to those with no presence of Ponzi schemes. This is true for minor offenses like commercial theft or residential burglary, but not for major crimes as murder or terrorism.

Cyber Crime

Talk given by Gary Kibby from SOCA at the Web Science Industry Week in Dec 2012. Readings and task taken from previous years.

INFO2009 - Computer Crime Learning Resource

An E-Learning Gateway for the latest news and information relating to Computer Crime for INFO2009

The swindle crime: a necessary normative construction of its elements

The present work exposes a review about the performance of the “traditional” thesis(Naturalistic) of the swindle crime in front of the needs of the present’s Political Policy.For this system, the various frauds’ elements require a causal relationship. Today itmight be wondered whether this solution is desirable, i.e. whether respond efficientlyto the problematic assumptions that the contemporary business practices raises.

Neighborhood characteristics and the spatial concentration of crime: Evidence for Bogotá

Using a unique neighborhood crime dataset for Bogotá in 2011, this study uses a spatial econometric approach and examines the role of socioeconomic and agglomeration variables in explaining the variance of crime. It uses two different types of crime, violent crime represented in homicides and property crime represented in residential burglaries. These two types of crime are then measured in non-standard crime statistics that are created as the area incidence for each crime in the neighborhood. The existence of crime hotspots in Bogotá has been shown in most of the literature, and using these non-standard crime statistics at this neighborhood level some hotspots arise again, thus validating the use of a spatial approach for these new crime statistics. The final specification includes socioeconomic, agglomeration, land-use and visual aspect variables that are then included in a SARAR model an estimated by the procedure devised by Kelejian and Prucha (2009). The resulting coefficients and marginal effects show the relevance of these crime hotspots which is similar with most previous studies. However, socioeconomic variables are significant and show the importance of age, and education. Agglomeration variables are significant and thus more densely populated areas are correlated with more crime. Interestingly, both types of crimes do not have the same significant covariates. Education and young male population have a different sign for homicide and residential burglaries. Inequality matters for homicides while higher real estate valuation matters for residential burglaries. Finally, density impacts positively both crimes.

The crime kuznets curve

We document the existence of a Crime Kuznets Curve in US states since the 1970s. As income levels have risen, crime has followed an inverted U-shaped pattern, first increasing and then dropping. The Crime Kuznets Curve is not explained by income inequality. In fact, we show that during the sample period inequality has risen monotonically with income, ruling out the traditional Kuznets Curve. Our finding is robust to adding a large set of controls that are used in the literature to explain the incidence of crime, as well as to controlling for state and year fixed effects. The Curve is also revealed in nonparametric specifications. The Crime Kuznets Curve exists for property crime and for some categories of violent crime.

Economic shocks and crime: evidence from the crash of ponzi schemes

In November 2008, Colombian authorities dismantled a network of Ponzi schemes, making hundreds of thousands of investors lose tens of millions of dollars throughout the country. Using original data on the geographical incidence of the Ponzi schemes, this paper estimates the impact of their break down on crime. We find that the crash of Ponzi schemes differentially exacerbated crime in affected districts. Confirming the intuition of the standard economic model of crime, this effect is only present in places with relatively weak judicial and law enforcement institutions, and with little access to consumption smoothing mechanisms such as microcredit. In addition, we show that, with the exception of economically-motivated felonies such as robbery, violent crime is not affected by the negative shock.

Experimental study of textual development in Spanish students of English as a foreign language in segundo de bachillerato : features of written register in compositions of argumentative genre.

Esta investigación pretende, por un lado, describir y explicar los rasgos orales de las redacciones de los estudiantes españoles de inglés como lengua extranjera; y, por otro, intentar mejorar el estilo escrito de los textos de estos estudiantes a través de una intervención pedagógica.. Se diseña y aplica un tratamiento pedagógico a un grupo de estudiantes de segundo de bachillerato de Madrid. La instrucción se centra en hacerles conscientes de los recursos lingüísticos disponibles en inglés para la redacción de un texto. Se comparan las composiciones escritas por los estudiantes antes del tratamiento experimental con sus producciones posteriores, así como con un grupo de control del mismo instituto que no recibe ninguna instrucción. Se cotejan los textos en inglés con redacciones escritas en español por los estudiantes del grupo experimental. Asimismo, los textos escritos en inglés después del tratamiento experimental se comparan con redacciones de un grupo de estudiantes nativos de secundaria. Se analizan dos variables, para las que el estudio aporta sendos instrumentos de medida, la calidad y el grado de estilo escrito de los textos. La comparación de los textos escritos en español y en inglés de los estudiantes españoles del grupo experimental revela que las redacciones en la lengua materna son superiores en relación a su calidad pero no al grado de estilo escrito. Varios resultados estadísticos apuntan que el tratamiento recibido por el grupo experimental contribuye al desarrollo del grado de estilo escrito de los textos en inglés pero no mejora la calidad global de los mismos. Los resultados revelan que el grupo experimental es similar a los nativos en el grado de estilo escrito, aunque éste último supera a los estudiantes del inglés como lengua extranjera en la 'calidad' de los textos. Este estudio concluye que la impronta oral de las redacciones de los estudiantes de inglés como lengua extranjera puede deberse a la combinación de varios factores, la competencia discursiva en la lengua materna, la competencia lingüística/discursiva en la lengua objeto de aprendizaje, el conocimiento socio-cultural y lingüístico de adecuación contextual y el tipo de pedagogía en inglés como lengua extranjera.

Severidade punitiva : penas severas: um factor de dissuasão de um crime?

A justiça e a Psicologia Forense movimentam-se no mesmo terreno, o das personalidades e comportamentos humanos, no entanto, operam em campos não tão complementares quanto o necessário. O berço da investigação respeita a História e evolução da penalidade, sobrevoando posteriormente nos caminhos (en) cruzilhados entre a Psicologia e o Direito. Particularizou-se os laços que envolvem a avaliação psicológica forense e a perícia de personalidade quando pedidas em tribunal, e deslizou-se superficialmente pela ética e deontologia. A sua máxime consiste na procura de conhecimentos sobre o nível de Severidade Punitiva, em processos de menores relativos à aplicação da Lei Tutelar Educativa, sendo a adolescência uma etapa da vida onde frequentemente se cometem algumas condutas transgressivas e onde as mesmas emergem Para isso, aplicou-se um instrumento psicológico construído para o efeito, o Índice de Severidade Penalizadora e Psicologização (Criminalização Secundária – Transgressionalidades e Delinquência Juvenil (ISPP-CS-TDJ). Finalmente ousa responder à pergunta “Penas severas como factor de dissuasão de um crime?”

Metaph’ornament and crime: the sequel to the delict of the centenary of Adolf Loos’ anti-ornament indictment

Ornamento: há cem anos, de que crime se tratava? Será ainda perseguido? Será ainda castigado? Será ainda um crime? No ano do centenário do ensaio «Ornamento e Crime» de Adolf Loos, uma digressão simultaneamente histórica, teórica, cultural e fenomenológica às raízes do ornamento, e a sua transformação, do dealbar do Movimento Moderno até hoje, em algo insondável e inesperado: a metáfora.

O videoclipe victimless crime e as imagens nos videoclipes

RESUMO: No âmbito do Mestrado em Estudos Cinematográficos da Universidade Lusófona de Humanidades e Tecnologias, propôs-se a concretização de um Projecto-Tese na área do videoclipe. O projecto consiste na produção, realização e edição de um videoclipe. Victimless Crime é o nome da música, criada durante o ano de 2009 e lançada em Maio de 2010, da banda pop lisboeta Soulbizness. O resultado é um videoclipe com a duração de três minutos e vinte e seis segundos, que entende a possibilidade de uma utilização real. Na componente teórica procede-se ao estudo do videoclipe enquanto formato audiovisual e suas especificidades. Segue-se a análise de Victimless Crime, através do Modelo de Análise proposto por Francisco J. G. Tarín, assente em três vectores essenciais: Análise Textual; Análise de Recursos Expressivos e Narrativos; e Interpretação. ABSTRACT: Within the scope of the MFA in Cinematography at the Universidade Lusófona de Humanidades e Tecnologias, a thesis project was proposed in the field of music video. The project consists of producing, directing and editing a music video for the song Victimless Crime, created in 2009 and released in May 2010 by the Lisbon-based pop band Soulbizness. The result is a three minute, twenty-three second music video, complete and ready to be released. The project also includes a theoretical component, consisting of a general review of the music video as an audiovisual format and its characteristics, followed by an analysis of Victimless Crime, as per the Analysis Model proposed by Francisco J. G. Tarín, which is based on three main topics: Textual Analysis; Narrative Analysis and Expressive Language Analysis; and Interpretation.

Crime e contraordenação: por morrerem algumas andorinhas pode acabar a Primavera

Comments on a case of qualification of an unlawful conduct, in which it might have occurred violation to the principle of "ne bis in idem"