Immigration, Collective Efficacy, and Violence: Unpacking the Mediating Mechanisms in Immigration Effects on Community Violence

• In Event: Immigration and Crime

Abstract

Research has consistently shown that immigrant concentration does not increase crime but instead has either null or protective effects on community-level violence. Current theorizing suggests that the violence-reducing effects of immigration observed in prior research are likely indirect. That is, immigration is thought to indirectly insulate communities from violence by reinforcing community institutions, strengthening social ties and social cohesion, and fostering community patterns of collective efficacy and informal social control. However, outside of several noteworthy studies, indirect effects in immigration-crime relationships have received little empirical attention. As a result, the precise mechanisms through which immigration shapes community well-being, organization, and ultimately violence remain unclear. The current study seeks to address this gap in research by exploring indirect effects in neighborhood-level relationships between immigration and violence. Specifically, we use 1995 PHDCN data on 8782 Chicago residents covering 343 neighborhoods combined with 1990 U.S. Census data to examine how the relationships between immigrant concentration and violence (homicide and violent victimization) are mediated by neighborhood-level patterns of socio-economic well-being, social ties, organizational participation, collective efficacy, and social control. Results indicate that immigration is linked to lower levels of neighborhood violence, which may be attributed to multiple community-level processes.

Authors

• Ben Feldmeyer, University of Cincinnati

• Arelys Madero-Hernandez, Northern Kentucky University

• Carlos Rojas-Gaona, University of Cincinnati