ASOK15633U Design-Based Research in Criminology

Does imprisonment deter offenders from committing new crimes after release? Is imprisonment damaging to young offenders? And what about the association between unemployment and crime, which is cause and which is effect? Also, married men have lower crime rates than unmarried men, but is this because of other differences between those men or is marriage the causal ingredient?

Answers to these types of questions are important. Important decisions are based on them. Policies are made, laws are written. And public opinion is shaped by the answers. But even though most people have an opinion on these types of questions, remarkably few people are able to answer them in scientifically sound ways.  And few people even know of the methodological criteria for answering such questions.

Re-read the questions and notice how they all inquire about causal relationships. Does imprisonment affect crime? Prison -> behavior? A -> B. It’s really quite simple. But measuring it is quite demanding.

On this course you will become familiar with the methodological criteria for measuring causal effects. And you will learn how to search for, evaluate, and apply design-based approaches to answer questions related to causal effects. We will focus on questions from the research field of criminology (because it is the lecturers’ field of research), yet the methodological criteria and the logic of design-based research easily extends to other areas of research.

The course consists of three main parts (which each come with a minor student assignment—when compiled, these minor assignments will make up the main bulk of the exam assignment). In the first part of the course, we look at the methodological requirements for identifying causal effects. In the second part, we consult basic criminological theories, read empirical research articles, and discuss the applied research designs. In the third part, we discuss alternative research designs.

In the end, you will know reliable research designs. And you will know what it takes to answer the types of questions that were listed earlier. And, just as important, you will know which additional questions to ask when someone claims to answer those questions.