Human Development-Crime Nexus in the European Countries: Do Unemployment and Inflation Matter?

Difficulties in conceptualizing the crime phenomenon from past to present reveal various facts in economic, social and legal terms. In this direction, examining the linkage between crime phenomenon and human development constitutes one of the new fields of study in the economics literature. The phenomenon of crime can impose a cost on the economies and investments to be made in productive areas can be directed to crime prevention mechanisms. When the phenomenon of crime is evaluated within the frameworkof both social and economic policies, it can be stated that it imposes a cost on society through externalities. To solve this problem and minimize the cost, it is necessary to define the crime phenomenon and determine the effects of human development on crime. The aim of the article is to investigate the linkage between the human development and crime. In this context, the relationship between human development and crime is examined for 30 European countries based on the years 2008-2020.