Social Disorganization Theory

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul Bellair
Keyword(s):  
Collective Efficacy ◽  
Social Disorganization ◽  
Urban Neighborhoods ◽  
Informal Social Control ◽  
Social Disorganization Theory ◽  
Neighborhood Crime ◽  
The Social ◽  
Organic Solidarity ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Crucial Test

Contemporary sociologists typically trace social disorganization models to Emile Durkheim’s classic work. There is continuity between Durkheim’s concern for organic solidarity in societies that are changing rapidly and the social disorganization approach of Shaw and McKay (1969). However, Shaw and McKay view social disorganization as a situationally rooted variable and not as an inevitable property of all urban neighborhoods. They argued that socioeconomic status (SES), racial and ethnic heterogeneity, and residential stability account for variations in social disorganization and hence informal social control, which in turn account for the distribution of community crime. Empirical testing of Shaw and McKay’s research in other cities during the mid-20th century, with few exceptions, focused on the relationship between SES and delinquency or crime as a crucial test of the theory. As a whole, that research supports social disorganization theory. A handful of studies in the 1940s through early 1960s documented a relationship between social disorganization and crime. After a period of stagnation, social disorganization increased through the 1980s and since then has accelerated rapidly. Much of that research includes direct measurement of social disorganization, informal control, and collective efficacy. Clearly, many scholars perceive that social disorganization plays a central role in the distribution of neighborhood crime.

scholarly journals Responding to Neighborhood Problems: Is the Division of Community Labor Gendered?

2017 ◽  
Vol 64 (9) ◽  
pp. 1215-1241 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rebecca Wickes ◽  
Lisa Broidy ◽  
John R. Hipp
Keyword(s):  
Social Control ◽  
Social Disorganization ◽  
Fear Of Crime ◽  
Crime Reduction ◽  
Informal Social Control ◽  
Social Disorganization Theory ◽  
Neighborhood Crime ◽  
Neighborhood Problems ◽  
Control Actions ◽  
The Relationship

Social disorganization theory positions informal social control as central to neighborhood crime reduction. Although neighborhood ties, fear of crime, and perceived disorder influence the exercise of informal social control, there are significant sex differences for these drivers that might differentially influence men and women’s informal social control actions. Furthermore, these differences may be exaggerated under conditions that activate gendered divisions of labor. We use survey data from 4,000 residents in 148 neighborhoods and employ multilevel logistic regression to examine the relationship between sex and informal social control actions. We find that men are more likely to take action than women; however, our three-way interactions reveal family arrangements moderate the relationship between ties, fear of crime, disorder, and these actions.

The social disorganization of intimate partner violence

2019 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 37-41
Author(s):  
Anthony Piscitelli ◽  
Sean Doherty
Keyword(s):  
Intimate Partner Violence ◽  
Collective Efficacy ◽  
Social Disorganization ◽  
Partner Violence ◽  
Property Crime ◽  
Intimate Partner ◽  
Social Disorganization Theory ◽  
Economic Disadvantage ◽  
The Social ◽  
Family Breakdown

Recently, scholars have begun to recognize new theoretical connections between geography and intimate partner violence (IPV). One such theory is social disorganization theory (SDT). According to SDT, crime in communities can primarily be explained as a consequence of economic disadvantage, insufficient informal social control, lack of collective efficacy, and family breakdown. SDT is typically used in the context of property crime and public violence. This article reviews this evolving literature, proposing a unique and comprehensive concept map offering insights into how neighbourhood dynamics influence IPV.

“It's Not Just a Bunch of Buildings”: Social Psychological Investment, Sense of Community, and Collective Efficacy in a Multiethnic Low–Income Neighborhood

2016 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 231-263 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emily Walton
Keyword(s):  
Collective Efficacy ◽  
Sense Of Community ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Social Disorganization ◽  
Ethnic Diversity ◽  
Social Life ◽  
Investment Strategies ◽  
Social Psychological ◽  
Social Lives ◽  
The Social

This analysis of social life in a poor, multiethnic public housing neighborhood presents an opportunity for refinement of social disorganization theory. Drawing on data from interviews, focus groups, and participant observations among residents, I find that this neighborhood exhibits substantial collective efficacy, despite social disorganization theory's predictions that the structural conditions of high poverty and racial and ethnic diversity result in low collective efficacy. I explicate two social psychological investment strategies—sense of ownership and symbolic representation—that appear to facilitate a sense of community and ultimately collective efficacy, helping to explain this apparent anomaly. I argue that even in the presence of structural disadvantage, having a strong sense of community provides a basis for beneficial action on behalf of the collective because it constitutes a source of shared expectations about values and norms in the neighborhood. These findings suggest refinements to the social disorganization framework, but also provide foundational ideas for policy interventions that may improve the social lives of residents in disadvantaged neighborhoods.

Clarifying the Relationship Between Racial Diversity and Crime: Neighborhoods Versus Cities

2018 ◽  
Vol 65 (11) ◽  
pp. 1513-1536 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marin R. Wenger
Keyword(s):  
Social Cohesion ◽  
Social Disorganization ◽  
Racial Diversity ◽  
Current Investigation ◽  
Neighborhood Crime ◽  
Census Tracts ◽  
Neighborhood Diversity ◽  
The Relationship

Since the 1970s, racial diversity within neighborhoods and cities has been increasing. Although social disorganization theorists have long argued that diversity reduces social cohesion leading to increases in crime, the association between diversity and crime may be more nuanced than previously thought. More specifically, neighborhood processes occur within the broader context of the cities within which they are embedded. The current investigation uses data from 9,593 census tracts nested within 91 large U.S. cities from the National Neighborhood Crime Study (NNCS) to test whether the association between neighborhood diversity and crime differs by city diversity. Results indicate an interaction between neighborhood and city diversity, such that the effect of neighborhood diversity on crime becomes weaker as city diversity increases.

The Multilevel Effects of Changes in Disadvantage on Changes in Crime

2021 ◽  
pp. 001112872110475
Author(s):  
Marin R. Wenger
Keyword(s):  
Social Disorganization ◽  
Multilevel Models ◽  
Community Survey ◽  
Social Disorganization Theory ◽  
American Community Survey ◽  
Neighborhood Crime ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Census Tracts ◽  
Multilevel Effects ◽  
Over Time

While social disorganization theory suggests the importance of change, most prior research examining macro-level criminological associations uses cross-sectional data. The current study examines the multilevel relationship between changes in disadvantage and changes in crime over time using four data sources: the National Neighborhood Crime Study, the 2000 U.S. Census, crime-incidents occurring between 2005 and 2009, and the 2005–2009 American Community Survey. Analyzing 6,068 census tracts within 53 large U.S. cities using multilevel models with time nested within tracts nested within cities, I parse out the contribution of changes in tract-level disadvantage from city-level disadvantage to changes in robbery and burglary rates. Results indicate the importance of both static and dynamic associations between disadvantage and crime, at both the neighborhood and city level.

Explaining Organized Crime

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert M. Lombardo
Keyword(s):  
Organized Crime ◽  
Human Ecology ◽  
Cultural Transmission ◽  
Social Disorganization Theory ◽  
The Social ◽  
American Society ◽  
Ethnic Succession ◽  
Deviance Theory ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Succession Theory

This chapter reviews the theoretical underpinnings of the alien conspiracy and ethnic succession theories as explanations for the emergence and continuation of organized crime in American society. It first considers the arguments of the alien conspiracy theory, as well as the cultural deviance theory upon which it is based, before discussing the claims of the social disorganization theory as the basis of the ethnic succession theory. The chapter also examines the theories of human ecology, cultural transmission, and differential social organization, along with delinquency theories and their relation to organized crime, with particular emphasis on recruitment issues. Finally, the chapter looks at the relationship between Gerald Suttles's conceptualization of the defended neighborhood and racket subcultures.

Testing Theories of Social Disorganization in Nigeria

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Faisal Umar ◽  
Shane D. Johnson ◽  
James A. Cheshire
Keyword(s):  
Social Disorganization ◽  
Final Section ◽  
Empirical Test ◽  
Survey Methods ◽  
Social Disorganization Theory ◽  
Urban District ◽  
Units Of Analysis ◽  
The Social ◽  
Using Data ◽  
The City

This chapter focuses on the social disorganization approach to understanding variations in area-level rates of crime. It first provides context through a brief description of the study area, Badarawa-Malali, an urban district in the city of Kaduna, Nigeria (Section 17.2). Section 17.3 provides a review of the different components of social disorganization theory, the mechanisms through which they are believed to operate, how they have been estimated in previous studies, and whether they are meaningful in the context of Nigeria. Section 17.4 describes the data and survey methods employed, while Section 17.5 discusses the geographical units of analysis used in this present study. Section 17.6 presents an empirical test of social disorganization theory using data for Nigeria. The final section discusses the findings and their implications for criminological understanding.

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