Explaining rape during civil war: Cross-national evidence (1980-2009)
2013 study by the Harvard Kennedy School published in the American Political Science Review on possible causes to variation in rapes during 86 major conflicts.
Criminal Justice
Research roundups, tip sheets, articles and explainers related to the topic of criminal justice
Expert Commentary
Profiling gun dealers, pawnbrokers and illegal weapons sales
2013 review of studies that provide insight into the nature of gun sellers and sales transactions, with an emphasis on illegal purchasing attempts and related research on gun laws.
Expert Commentary
Commodity prices and conflict: How price shocks affect civil unrest
Review of a 2013 paper in The Review of Economic Studies and other studies that shed light on the connection between food insecurity and violent conflict.
Expert Commentary
Right-wing extremism in Europe and beyond: Research roundup
2013 roundup of academic studies, published in the past few years, that shed light on the dynamics of right-wing extremism in Europe and provide wider political context.
Expert Commentary
NSA surveillance: Clarifying and distinguishing two data collection programs
July 2013 Congressional Research Service report providing key background information on the National Security Agency surveillance programs. Also included are related papers and scholarly perspectives.
Expert Commentary
Does strengthening self-defense law deter crime or escalate violence?
2012 paper from Texas A&M done for the National Bureau of Economic Research looks at how “stand your ground” laws — based on “castle doctrine” — affect rates of violence in states.
Expert Commentary
Violent crime in the United States: Youth, minorities and public awareness
2013 review of key government reports and surveys that provide perspective on trends in various violent crime rates, with a focus on youth and racial groups.
Expert Commentary
Hot spots policing and crime prevention strategies: Ongoing research
2013 review of scholarship on new policing programs to reduce crime and their outcomes. Also discussed are data analytics and “predictive policing.”
Expert Commentary
Brand-specific consumption of alcohol among underage youth in the United States
2013 study from Boston University and Johns Hopkins providing the first available national estimates of youth alcohol brand preference.
Expert Commentary
Ethnic profiling in airport screening: Lessons from Israel, 1968-2010
2012 study in the American Law and Economics Review on how certain airport security procedures are the key variable in producing feelings of discrimination and ill-will, and how this might be mitigated.
Expert Commentary