Premium
Development and Social Problems: The Impact of the Offshore Oil Industry on Suicide and Homicide Rates 1
Author(s) -
Seydlitz Ruth,
Laska Shirley,
Spain Daphne,
Triche Elizabeth W.,
Bishop Karen L.
Publication year - 1993
Publication title -
rural sociology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.083
H-Index - 65
eISSN - 1549-0831
pISSN - 0036-0112
DOI - 10.1111/j.1549-0831.1993.tb00484.x
Subject(s) - homicide , resource curse , resource (disambiguation) , socioeconomic status , poison control , demographic economics , economic growth , suicide prevention , psychology , criminology , economics , political science , sociology , demography , environmental health , natural resource , medicine , law , computer network , population , computer science
There are few studies in the literature concerning economic development that examine the impact of offshore oil and gas extraction on communities and even fewer that use annual data, examine more than one community and account for the degree of involvement of the community in the oil industry. This study rectifies these problems. The results support hypotheses derived from social disorganization and relative deprivation theories by demonstrating that higher levels of and rapid changes in development are associated with higher homicide and suicide rates, especially in communities that are more involved in resource extraction. The utility of the methods and the implications of the results for theory and future research are discussed.