Econometric Estimates of Deterrence of the Death Penalty: Facts or Ideology?

Abstract

Standard-Nutzungsbedingungen:Die Dokumente auf EconStor dürfen zu eigenen wissenschaftlichen Zwecken und zum Privatgebrauch gespeichert und kopiert werden.Sie dürfen die Dokumente nicht für öffentliche oder kommerzielle Zwecke vervielfältigen, öffentlich ausstellen, öffentlich zugänglich machen, vertreiben oder anderweitig nutzen.Sofern die Verfasser die Dokumente unter Open-Content-Lizenzen (insbesondere CC-Lizenzen) zur Verfügung gestellt haben sollten, gelten abweichend von diesen Nutzungsbedingungen die in der dort genannten Lizenz gewährten Nutzungsrechte. In 2007, the Wall Street Journal published an article claiming that each execution saves more than 70 lives. This example is used to show how easy it is, using simple or advanced econometric techniques, to produce results that do or do not support the deterrence hypothesis. Moreover, we also point to some puzzles which have not been satisfactorily solved so far. We then present a critical survey of the papers published in the last ten years. It is shown how simple changes can produce quite different results using the same data. Finally, we draw some conclusions about the usefulness of statistical arguments in policy debates, but also on the moral questions involved in this particular debate. Terms of use: Documents in EconStor mayJEL-Code: K140, K420.

Punishment as Defiance: Deterrence and Perverse Effects in the Case of Expressive Crime

“…It has been argued elsewhere that economists usually focus on deterrent effects of legislation (see e.g. Cameron 1988, Kirchgässner 2011, or Robinson and Darley 2004. Generally speaking, most studies pointing out this specificity of the economic perspective call into question the deterrent effect of many forms of legal codification, or at least of increases of available punishment.…”

Facts or Ideology: What Determines the Results of Econometric Estimates of the Deterrence Effect of Death Penalty? A Meta-Analysis

“…5. For an overview on this literature see, for example, G. KIRCHGÄSSNER (2011) as well as the literature mentioned in Footnote 2 above and discussed in Section 3 of this paper.…”