ABSTRACT
The idea that crime is associated with economic institutions can be traced back to antiquity, and it has probably been the single most influential explanation for crime in postwar America. Economic arguments offer an appealing explanation for the gap between African American and white crime rates. Regardless of the economic indicator examined, African Americans began the postwar period at a tremendous disadvantage. This chapter explores the possibility that postwar United States crime trends are explained in part by the varying stresses imposed on Americans by their economic institutions. Strain theories bring institutional considerations to bear by arguing that economic stress results in anomie, normlessness, or a sense of injustice that in turn increases individual motivation to commit crime and reduces the effectiveness of informal social control systems. Economic institutions with little legitimacy are less successful at convincing individuals of the importance of behaving lawfully.
