Offending in Karachi's neighborhoods: An empirical test of the systemic model of social disorganization
Item
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Title
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Offending in Karachi's neighborhoods: An empirical test of the systemic model of social disorganization
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Identifier
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d_2009_2013:2d17b8514048:11187
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identifier
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11531
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Creator
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Latif, Zainab,
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Contributor
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Amy Adamczyk
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Date
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2012
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Language
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English
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Publisher
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City University of New York.
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Subject
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Criminology | Social structure | South Asian studies | Crime | Karachi | Neighborhoods | Pakistan | Social disorganization | Systemic model
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Abstract
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The systemic model of social disorganization posits that structural challenges impede the development of neighborhood networks responsible for informal social control, and thereby increase residents' involvement in crime. However recent studies suggest that in severely disadvantaged and isolated communities, even well-functioning networks may be unable to prevent offending, as a result of cultural and political economy factors such as legal cynicism and the legitimization of violence. This research examines the utility of the ecological framework in Karachi, and assesses the impact of key social disorganization indicators---ethnic heterogeneity, residential mobility and concentrated poverty---on offending. It also examines the extent to which these impacts are mediated by variation in state legitimacy across Karachi's neighborhoods.;The project draws on three sources of secondary data: census of Pakistan, election data, and jail admission records. The sample consists of 453 of Karachi's census tracts. Analyses include descriptive techniques to assess the utility of the ecological framework, multivariate regressions to examine direct and mediation effects, and structural equation models to test the significance of the entire complex models.;Results display considerable variation across neighborhoods in offending, voting behavior and other sociological indicators. Two social disorganization factors---concentrated disadvantage and ethnic heterogeneity---as well as legitimacy, are each seen to have significant, positive, direct effects on total offending, violent offending and robbery. Results further suggest that concentrated disadvantage and mobility contribute to voting behaviors.;These results have important implications for the application of ecological theories in general, and social disorganization in particular, in Karachi. The study also points to the importance of macro-social indicators such as voting behavior in explaining offending. Finally, results speak to the need for careful selection of multivariate regression models and the benefits of supplementing these techniques with SEM. However, it is suggested that further investigation into the nature of the micro-social processes underlying social disorganization, and a more rigorous understanding of the determinants of voting behavior and its ability to adequately represent attitudes toward state legitimacy will allow for more accurate application of these findings to the systemic model.
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Type
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dissertation
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Source
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2009_2013.csv
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degree
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Ph.D.
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Program
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Criminal Justice
