Reliability and Validity of Cross-National Homicide Data: A Comparison of UN and WHO Data

• In Event: Overcoming Measurement Challenges

Abstract

Issues of data reliability and validity are a major methodological concern in cross-national analyses of crime. In their influential work, Bennett and Lynch (1990) drew on homicide data from the United Nations (UN) and the World Health Organization (WHO) to conclude that the two sources generally produce similar results. Despite the large literature on cross-national homicide rates, there is little agreement on which source provides the most reliable estimates. In addition, few studies have examined the potential threat to validity posed by unclassified deaths in the WHO data. Through a description of trends as well as multivariate analyses, the current study aims to shed some light on these questions by (1) assessing the reliability of cross-national homicide data from the United Nations and the World Health Organization, and (2) investigating the impact of unclassified deaths on the validity of WHO data. Findings indicate that UN and WHO homicide rates (n=56) differ in magnitude but produce similar outcomes, with UN data providing the most robust results based on well-known correlates of cross-national homicide rates. Analyses also suggest that analyses drawing on WHO homicide data should not disregard unclassified deaths.

Authors

• Catrin Andersson, Sheffield Hallam University

• Lila Kazemian, The Graduate Center, John Jay College / CUNY