Economic Investigation of the Crime and It's Inter-Provincial Spillover Effects in Iran: A Spatial Panel Approach

This study investigates the effects of economic and social variables on crimes in Iran by using provincial panel data during 2000-2010. Spatial econometrics is used to study the crime both in space and spillover effects in the model. Research findings suggest that spillover effects caused led by the crimes in provinces are significant in the investigation period. Therefore، any change in crime rate will affect the province and the neighbors by the spillover effects or contagion across boundaries. Furthermore، the results indicate that economic variables of «Income and Industrialization index» and social variables of «Marriage to Divorce Ratio»، «Urbanization Ratio» and «Population Increase» all have significant and important effects on the crime along the country.