NCJ Number
171549
Journal
Social Forces Volume: 75 Issue: 3 Dated: (March 1997) Pages: 769-798
Date Published
1997
Length
30 pages
Annotation
This study extends contributions from the historical perspective on social-structures-of-accumulation and collective- action frame theory to provide a greater understanding of the class linkages between economic restructuring and crime.
Abstract
The social-structures-of-accumulation (SSA) theory suggests that what distinguishes the post-1970 period of American capitalism is the spatial restructuring of labor that forms the basis for the latest in a series of SSAs. Spatialization is a response to growing foreign competition and rising labor costs under the capital-labor accord. Spatialization seeks to sever the accord by strategically relocating capital across space and forcing workers from different States to compete for investment. Drawing on collective-action frame theory, the authors hypothesize that how individuals interpret and respond to restructuring depends on their embeddedness in the accord. The three dependent variables in this study were violent crime, property crime, and total crime rates of States in the years 1970-85. Data on these came from annual editions of the Uniform Crime Reports. For the theoretical variables (independent variables), the study tested the impact of unemployment across States, expecting it to have a positive influence on crime. The indicator of employer tactics was the number of unfair labor practices by employers reported to the National Labor Relations Board per 1,000 union members in a State. The study found that when crime is examined across time and space, the unemployment rate has a powerful effect on crime rates, particularly property- related crimes. Moreover, the indicators of employer tactics (unfair labor practices) and labor organization (union density, union organizing success, and strike frequency) exert significant effects on total crime rate and property crime rate. The study thus provides evidence that meso-level class arrangements, such as the capital-labor accord, mediate interpretations of and responses to large-scale economic restructuring, independent of the material and psychic hardship caused by unemployment. The findings are also consistent with recent sociological research that combines structural and cultural theories to provide a more adequate understanding of the linkages between the micro-level and macro-level processes of social change. Study limitations are discussed. 4 tables, 29 notes, and 81 references