The Effect of Income Polarization on Crime: Evidence From Court Judicial Documents in China
Journal: International Studies of Economics
Year: 2025

ABSTRACT Crime affects social stability and people's safety, and directly increases the cost of urban development. Existing literature shows that income distribution affects crime, but it mainly focuses on the effect of income inequality and poverty, with scant evidence addressing the impact of income polarization on crime. Applying data from the China Household Finance Survey (CHFS) and judicial documents from 2014 to 2018, this paper demonstrates that rising income polarization significantly i