ABSTRACT
A significant revival of interest in and attention to Robert Merton’s work has occurred, mostly because of the important extension of his work by Steven Messner and Richard Rosenfeld in what has been labeled “institutional anomie theory” (IAT). Disagreement on basic theoretical and methodological issues exists with respect to the theoretical model of deviance outlined by Merton, including the most relevant units of analysis; the distinct concepts that are represented; how those concepts are linked; and the types of measures and model specifications required to evaluate adequately the core predictions. In Crime and the American Dream, Messner and Rosenfeld provide an account of American exceptionalism in levels of criminal violence, especially instrumental violence, that draws heavily from Merton’s anomie theory. Although well short of a full test of IAT or Merton’s anomie theory, study goes significantly beyond previous efforts to assess the empirical validity of these perspectives.
