Criminologist, the bi-monthly newsletter of the American Society of Criminology Collaborating with Economists

The study of crime has long been a multi-disciplinary enterprise. Half of the faculty in criminology departments have been trained in other disciplines; that breadth is reflected in the citations in Criminology as well. Although economics is not yet part of the standard lineup, economists are now a growing presence in the study of crime. A simple sign of this influence is the February 2004 issue of Criminology, which had two articles with lead authors who have Ph.D.’s in Economics (Cook and Ludwig 2004, Cohen et al. 2004) and two other articles which rely heavily on methods or literature from economics (Gordon et al. 2004, Pogarsky 2004). Economists are also showing up regularly on National Research Council panels. The research of John Lott, an economist at the American Enterprise Institute, on “right-to-carry ” gun laws has created a whole new literature on gun control. The two authors of this article are part of this growing presence. Bushway has a Ph.D. in Public Policy and Economics and Reuter has a Ph.D. in Economics. Naturally, we believe that the increased presence of economics in criminology and of crime in economics is a positive development that should be formally encouraged. Indeed we have started a new program at the University of Maryland aimed at encouraging the integration of the two disciplines through courses, seminars, summer institutes and increased formal and informal dialogue. Despite our enthusiasm, we are painfully aware of the arrogant and condescending attitude many (but not all) economists take towards criminology and criminologists. It never ceases to amaze us when yet another economist announces that he has solved a longstandin