Violence and Socio-Economic Indicators: Evidence from the United States

Given the high number of violent crimes that are involving the Unites States, of which we sadly hear more or less every day on TV and on the most famous social media, the purpose of my research is analyzing if and in which terms some big macroeconomic and social parameters affect this rise of homicides and suicides. Considering the wide income inequality that characterizes the US, we will try to examine the features of unemployment, poverty and educational attainments, giving a theoretical explanation founded on the American context and culture. After this overview of the American economy, the relationships among economic indicators and deaths are studied with OLS, taking into account a quite precise geographical point of view, the county level, showing that economic deprivation positively influences the number of homicides and suicides. We conclude trying to underlying the possible social and economic policies that can reduce the number of deaths.