Hating the player is the game: Exploring the impact of homogeneity in gang formation on intra-ethnic violence from a game theory perspective

• In Event: Game Theory, Gangs and Crime

Abstract

The processes influencing gang formation are difficult to observe systematically—typically gangs have been studied once groups are already established. Empirical research on gangs has revealed that 1) youth gangs are generally ethnically homogenous, even in heterogeneous environments, and 2) violence tends to emerge between gangs of similar ethnicity. Building from prior theoretical work on group formation, segregation and inter-group conflict, we argue that these findings are more than simple qualitative observation about the composition and activities of street gangs, but they are intrinsically linked to the initial process of formation. We present a parsimonious game-theoretic model of gang formation and violence that predicts these patterns. The findings suggest that even a slight preference to commit violence against another member of the same ethnicity generates patterns of violence that are mostly intra-ethnic. Moreover, this process leads to a sorting of gang members into homogenous gangs. Further simulations indicate that these findings are robust to a number of simple variations on the model (e.g. considering social distance between members of ethnic groups). A number of theoretical propositions are offered as a starting point for future empirical analysis of gang formation processes.

Authors

• Jason Gravel, University of California, Irvine

• Blake Allison, University of California, Irvine

• Jenny West-Fagan, University of California, Irvine

• Michael McBride, University of California, Irvine

• George Tita, University of California, Irvine