Crime and Self-Control Revisited: Disentangling the Effect of Self-Control on Risk and Social Preferences

Tim Friehe and Hannah Schildberg-Hörisch
Authors registered in the RePEc Author Service: Hannah Schildberg-Hoerisch ()

No 4747, CESifo Working Paper Series from CESifo

Abstract: In economic models, risk and social preferences are major determinants of criminal behavior. In criminology, low self-control is considered a fundamental cause of crime. Relating the arguments from both disciplines, this paper studies the relationship between self-control and both risk and social preferences. To exogenously vary the level of self-control, we use a well-established experimental manipulation. We find that low self-control causes less risk-averse behavior. The effect of self-control on social preferences is not significant. In sum, our findings support the proposition that low self-control is a facilitator of crime. While our study is motivated by the literature on the determinants of criminal behavior, it has important implications for dual-system models and documents endogeneity of economic preferences.

Keywords: criminal behavior; risk preferences; social preferences; ego-depletion; dual-system models; experiment; endogeneity of economic preferences (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: C91 H23 K42 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2014
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

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Working Paper: Crime and Self-Control Revisited: Disentangling the Effect of Self-Control on Risk and Social Preferences (2014)
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