TY  - RPRT
        AU  - Cameron, Lisa A.
AU  - Meng, Xin
AU  - Zhang, Dandan
        TI  - China's Sex Ratio and Crime: Behavioral Change or Financial Necessity?
        PY  - 2016/Feb/
        PB  - Institute of Labor Economics (IZA)
        CY  - Bonn
        T2  - IZA Discussion Paper
        IS  - 9747
        UR  - https://www.iza.org/publications/dp9747
        AB  - This paper uses survey and experimental data from prison inmates and comparable non-inmates to examine the drivers of rising criminality in China. Consistent with socio-biological research on other species, we find that China's high sex-ratios are associated with greater risk-taking and impatience amongst males. These underlying behavioral impacts explain some part of the increase in criminality. The primary avenue through which the sex-ratio increases crime, however, is the direct pressure on men to appear financially attractive in order to find a partner in the marriage market. These marriage market pressures result in a higher propensity to commit financially rewarding crimes.
        KW  - sex-ratio
KW  - time preferences
KW  - risk-taking
KW  - marriage markets
KW  - crime
KW  - one child policy
KW  - China
        ER  -