American Economic Journal:
Economic Policy
ISSN 1945-7731 (Print) | ISSN 1945-774X (Online)
Sweeping up Gangs: The Effects of Tough-on-Crime Policies from a Network Approach
American Economic Journal: Economic Policy
(pp. 127–58)
Abstract
Globally, gang proliferation is fought primarily through sweeps. This paper uses a difference-in-differences strategy to examine their causal impact on crime for arrested individuals and their peers. Analysis focuses on the Metropolitan Area of Barcelona, which underwent a notable policy shift. Findings reveal significant crime reductions among those arrested and their peers of 85 percent and 31 percent, respectively. Evidence suggests the first stems from incapacitation and the second from less criminal environment. A counterfactual exercise suggests that broader targeting of key players could have reduced crime by 43 percentage points more. This implies network analysis could enhance policy formulation.Citation
Domínguez, Magdalena. 2026. "Sweeping up Gangs: The Effects of Tough-on-Crime Policies from a Network Approach." American Economic Journal: Economic Policy 18 (1): 127–58. DOI: 10.1257/pol.20230467Additional Materials
JEL Classification
- C31 Multiple or Simultaneous Equation Models: Cross-Sectional Models; Spatial Models; Treatment Effect Models; Quantile Regressions; Social Interaction Models
- H56 National Security and War
- K14 Criminal Law
- K42 Illegal Behavior and the Enforcement of Law
- Z18 Cultural Economics: Public Policy