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The impact of income inequality on criminality: a spatial analysis of Mexican municipalities

Abstract: Given the importance of inequality and violence as two major societal issues in Mexico, this study analyzes the causal impact of income inequality on crime at the municipal level. Trying to compensate for several gaps in the literature, a detailed spatial analysis is run. The empirical contributions are multiple. The investigation takes into account several types of crimes, namely intentional homicides, intentional injuries and thefts whereas most empirical studies solely focus on homicides. Different measures of income inequality (income Gini and income ratio) are also considered and this is the first study, in the case of Mexico, to control simultaneously for endogeneity and spatial dependence issues. The results highlight a positive causal impact of income inequality on intentional homicide rate. This effect is non-negligible since a two-point increase in the Gini index leads to a rise of 4.7 intentional homicides per 100,000 inhabitants in 2017. If the results for intentional homicides are robust to the different inequality measures employed, for total criminal incidence and theft rate, results are less stable.

Gender inequality perception, its measurement and determinants: a new quantitative approach applied to Mexican students

Abstract: This paper proposes to gauge gender inequality perception among Mexican students and analyse its individual determinants. Using quantitative data we have collected, we created an innovative measure of gender inequality perception, overcoming limitations of past empirical measures. The latter allows us to take simultaneously into account several dimensions of gender inequality (educational, economic and political), quantify perceived levels of gender inequality, infer the accuracy of estimates and make between-individuals comparisons. Overall, the results show that students misperceive gender inequality. Even if they recognize that gender inequality exists in the Mexican society, they underestimate its magnitude. Surprisingly, inequality is the most underestimated in the economic dimension, where women are the most discriminated against. On the contrary, the estimates of political gender inequality are the closest to reality. We also find that the effect of individual determinants is dimension-specific. Depending on the type of gender inequality considered, different individual factors matter for explaining perceptions. However, the level of education appears to be the strongest predictor of perceived gender inequality levels. As their education increases students perceive higher levels of global, educational and political inequality between women and men. Their estimates are also more accurate.

Exploring the link between gender inequality and intimate partner violence perceptions: a qualitative approach

Abstract: This paper investigates Mexican students’ perception of gender inequality and intimate partner violence in their society. Based on semi-structured in-depth interviews we first analyse their discourses to take stock of their knowledge, understanding and beliefs about these two phenomena. Second, we looked at how the two perceptions are related and more specifically, if any type of discourse about gender inequality may be systematically associated to is counterpart about intimate partner violence. The qualitative content analysis provides three main empirical results. First, gender inequality is a fuzzy, catch-all concept even for university students and there is an apparent confusion between sexism, gender roles and gender inequality. Globally, a consensus emerges about the main dimensions making up (what they consider to be) gender inequality in the Mexican society. In includes gender inequality in the economic/professional sphere, within family as well as through violence women are victims of. However, what students perceive and label as gender inequality represents in fact sexism (without them calling it as such) and gender roles manifestations, which they have a good knowledge and perception of, rather than structural gender inequality. Second, and as an extension of the previous result, gender inequality is rather analysed by the students from an individual and socio-cultural perspective than from a structural one. Put differently, they tend to perceive more the ideological than the structural foundations of the phenomenon. Finally, the perception of intimate partner violence overlaps in many ways with their perception of gender inequality. More precisely, students are leaning towards individual/couple and socio-cultural (such as machismo, romantic love and religion) explanations of violence rather than structural ones.