Do Protests Cause Crime? Evidence from Bogotá, Colombia

• In Event: Criminal Violence, Governance, and Social Order in Latin America

Brief Overview

Using geo-located data, we show that protests increase property crime in Bogotá. Effects persist after the unrest, implying protesters aren’t the offenders. We propose a framework linking protests to the state's capacity to maintain public order.

Authors

• Lucia Mendoza Mora, Harvard University

• Jorge Ochoa, Brown University

• Michael Lee Weintraub, Universidad de los Andes