The George Wilson Effect: Does Intergenerational Closure and Collective Efficacy Reduce Juvenile Delinquency in a Neighborhood?

ABSTRACT

A substantial amount of research found crime and delinquency to be lower in areas with stronger neighborhood communities, but the casual mechanism behind this association remains debated. The current study contributes to this debate by examining the association of two forms of social capital with rates of delinquency. The first, collective efficacy, has been widely studied, while the second, intergenerational closure has not. While the results support previous research indicating the primary role of collective efficacy as a proactive factor against delinquency, results for intergenerational closure suggest the influence of neighborhood community on delinquency does not always result in lower delinquency.

Notes

¹ Analyses using either 2000 census tracts or 1990 census tracts produced analogous results.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Matthew Valasik

MATTHEW VALASIK, PhD, is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Sociology at Louisiana State University. His primary research interests are the socio-spatial dynamics of gang behavior and problem-oriented policing strategies (e.g., gang units, civil gang injunctions) used by law enforcement. His work has appeared in Theoretical Criminology, Journal of Criminology, Policy and Practice, Rural Sociology, and The Oxford Handbook of Environmental Criminology.

Michael S. Barton

MICHAEL S. BARTON is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Sociology at Louisiana State University. His research interests join the criminological and urban sociological literatures to explore the geographic contexts in which crime occur. His research has appeared in Journal of Criminal Justice, Youth & Society, Law & Society Review, Urban Studies, Deviant Behavior, and Crime & Delinquency.