Broadband Internet: An Information Superhighway to Sex Crime?
43 Pages Posted: 6 Jul 2012
There are 4 versions of this paper
Broadband Internet: An Information Superhighway to Sex Crime?
Broadband Internet: An Information Superhighway to Sex Crime?
Broadband Internet: An Information Superhighway to Sex Crime?
Broadband Internet: An Information Superhighway to Sex Crime?
Date Written: June 2012
Abstract
Does internet use trigger sex crime? We use unique Norwegian data on crime and internet adoption to shed light on this question. A public program with limited funding rolled out broadband access points in 2000–2008, and provides plausibly exogenous variation in internet use. Our instrumental variables estimates show that internet use is associated with a substantial increase in both reports, charges and convictions of rape and other sex crimes. We present a conceptual framework that highlights three mechanisms for how internet use may affect reported sex crime, namely a reporting effect, a matching effect on potential offenders and victims, and a direct effect on sex crime propensity. To investigate the importance of these mechanisms, we use data on individual reporting behavior, police investigations, and criminal charges and convictions. None of the analyses we perform suggest that the positive relationship between internet use and sex crime is driven by changes in reporting behavior. Our findings suggest, however, that the direct effect on sex crime propensity is positive and non-negligible, possibly as a result of increased consumption of pornography.
Keywords: broadband internet, sex crime, rape, media
JEL Classification: K420, H400, L960, C260
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation
Do you have a job opening that you would like to promote on SSRN?
Recommended Papers
-
By Simeon Djankov, Caralee Mcliesh, ...
-
By Simeon Djankov, Caralee Mcliesh, ...
-
The Political Economy of Government Responsiveness: Theory and Evidence from India
By Timothy J. Besley and Robin Burgess
-
Handcuffs for the Grabbing Hand? Media Capture and Government Accountability
By Timothy J. Besley and Andrea Prat
-
Handcuffs for the Grabbing Hand? Media Capture and Government Accountability
By Timothy J. Besley and Andrea Prat
-
By Matthew Gentzkow and Jesse M. Shapiro
-
By Matthew Gentzkow and Jesse M. Shapiro
