Events at CERGE-EI

Prof. Dominic Rohner

University of Lausanne, Switzerland

Authors: Mathieu Couttenier, Veronica Preotu, Dominic Rohner, and Mathias Thoenig

Abstract: We study empirically how past exposure to conflict in origin countries makes migrants more violent prone in their host country, focusing on asylum seekers in Switzerland. We exploit a novel and unique dataset on all crimes reported in Switzerland by nationalities of perpetrators and victims over 2009-2012. Our baseline result is that cohorts exposed to civil conflicts/mass killings during childhood are 40 percent more prone to violent crimes than the average cohort. We exploit cross-region heterogeneity in public policies within Switzerland to document which integration policies are able to mitigate the detrimental effect of past conflict exposure on violent criminality.

Full Text:  “The Violent Legacy of Victimization: Post-Conflict Evidence on Asylum Seekers, Crimes and Public Policy in Switzerland”