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TOWARD AN ANALYTICAL CRIMINOLOGY: THE MICRO–MACRO PROBLEM, CAUSAL MECHANISMS, AND PUBLIC POLICY
Author(s) -
MATSUEDA ROSS L.
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
criminology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.467
H-Index - 139
eISSN - 1745-9125
pISSN - 0011-1384
DOI - 10.1111/1745-9125.12149
Subject(s) - macro , individualism , methodological individualism , micro level , macro level , sociology , focus (optics) , cultural criminology , criminology , causal model , positive economics , political science , economics , computer science , law , neoclassical economics , microeconomics , economic system , physics , optics , economic impact analysis , programming language , medicine , pathology
In this address, I revisit the micro–macro problem in criminology, arguing for an “analytical criminology” that takes an integrated approach to the micro–macro problem. I begin by contrasting an integrated methodological‐individualist approach with traditional holist and individualist approaches. An integrated approach considers the concept of emergence and tackles the difficult problem of specifying causal mechanisms by which interactions among individuals produce social organizational outcomes. After presenting a few examples of micro–macro transitions relevant to criminology, I discuss research programs in sociology and economics that focus on these issues. I then discuss the implications of social interaction effects for making causal inferences about crime and for making crime policy recommendations.