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Proposal CSSS

The memo outlines a research question investigating whether 'shall carry' laws in the U.S. lead to a reduction in violent crime rates. The hypothesis posits that these laws decrease violent crime in states where enacted, with the explanatory variable being the presence of the law and the outcome variable being the violent crime rate per 100,000 population. The memo also details other variables to control for, such as incarceration rates, demographic characteristics, income, and population density.

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4 views2 pages

Proposal CSSS

The memo outlines a research question investigating whether 'shall carry' laws in the U.S. lead to a reduction in violent crime rates. The hypothesis posits that these laws decrease violent crime in states where enacted, with the explanatory variable being the presence of the law and the outcome variable being the violent crime rate per 100,000 population. The memo also details other variables to control for, such as incarceration rates, demographic characteristics, income, and population density.

Uploaded by

nkt.3.2004
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Noah Temam

1/23/25

CS&SS 321

Memo: Dataset Description and Research Question


Research Question

Do "shall carry" laws (laws mandating that authorities issue concealed carry permits to
qualified applicants) lead to a reduction in violent crime rates in the United States?
Hypothesis

The implementation of "shall carry" laws reduces violent crime rates in states where
they are enacted.
Explanatory Variable(s) of Interest

The key explanatory variable of interest is law, which indicates whether a "shall carry"
law is in effect in a given state and year. It is a categorical variable (factor) coded to
reflect whether the law is in effect or not. This variable captures the presence or
absence of a key policy intervention that may influence violent crime rates.
Outcome Variable

The outcome variable is violent, which represents the violent crime rate (incidents per
100,000 population). This variable is continuous and provides a quantitative measure of
the level of violent crime in a given state and year. It is the primary measure of the
hypothesized effect of "shall carry" laws.
Observed Pattern Supporting the Hypothesis

Support for the hypothesis would be observed if states that enact "shall carry" laws
experience a statistically significant decrease in violent crime rates after the
implementation of the law, compared to states without such laws or to their own crime
rates before enactment. This pattern would be evaluated while controlling for other
relevant variables, including:

 prisoners: Incarceration rate, which could influence crime rates independently.

 afam, cauc, and male: Demographic characteristics (percentages of African-


Americans, Caucasians, and young males in the population) that might affect
crime rates.

 income: Real per capita personal income, which may correlate with crime levels.

 density: Population density, which could influence opportunities for crime.

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