Spatial relationship between unemployment immigration and criminality in a developing city

Abstract

This article discusses the relationships between Unemployment, immigration, and crime. In recent years, Venezuelan social and economic instability has led to an exodus of Venezuelan citizens to Colombian cities. Cali, Colombia’s third most important city, is aware of this phenomenon, as it receives the Venezuelan immigrant population. In light of the few existing job opportunities in Cali, this influx has impacted violence and crime rates in the city. The international literature has shown correlations between economic activity, crime, and immigration, but the spatial interactions between these elements in the inner city have not been analyzed. This lack of study is unusual in a developing country like Colombia. Therefore, this study fills that gap by constructing crime indices and estimating spatial models using proximity to police stations. Our results show that there is a positive spatial relationship between the Unemployment of the immigrant population and the levels of crime in the City of Cali. Results also show that immigration as such as does not increase crime.