Residential Mobility & Segregation: Assignment 4
Social (dis)organization and diversity in the city
Essay question
Discuss to what extent and how the composition of the neighbourhood population impacts social
disorganization in the neighbourhood? To what extent is there agreement on this between the
different authors?
In social science, there are multiple theories which try to explain the unequal distribution of crime
and criminals between neighbourhoods. The most influential explanatory model is known as the
social disorganization theory, in which community-level variations in social control are used to
explain varying crime rates (Sampson, 2012, p. 150). Many other theories explaining criminal
behavior have built upon this theory. All of these have been extensively tested and are elaborated
on by other researchers. But to what extent is there agreement among different authors (Pattillo,
1998; Bruinsma et al., 2013; Sampson, 2009; Sampson 2012) on the role of the composition of the
neighbourhood population in determining criminal behavior? And how does this work?
In the classic social disorganization theory, it is argued that besides individual characteristics (like
ethnicity or age), a person’s residential location is very important in determining illegal behavior
(Bruinsma et al., 2013). There are three structural area characteristics which are of importance in
social disorganization: low socio-economic status, high residential mobility and ethnic heterogeneity.
These characteristics would weaken the resistance of residents towards abnormal behavioral norms,
causing social disorganization to be the outcome. Crime is thus seen as mostly “a product of
unfavorable conditions in certain communities” (Gaines & Miller, 2008, p. 45).
………………
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Social (dis)organization and diversity in the city
Essay question
Discuss to what extent and how the composition of the neighbourhood population impacts social
disorganization in the neighbourhood? To what extent is there agreement on this between the
different authors?
In social science, there are multiple theories which try to explain the unequal distribution of crime
and criminals between neighbourhoods. The most influential explanatory model is known as the
social disorganization theory, in which community-level variations in social control are used to
explain varying crime rates (Sampson, 2012, p. 150). Many other theories explaining criminal
behavior have built upon this theory. All of these have been extensively tested and are elaborated
on by other researchers. But to what extent is there agreement among different authors (Pattillo,
1998; Bruinsma et al., 2013; Sampson, 2009; Sampson 2012) on the role of the composition of the
neighbourhood population in determining criminal behavior? And how does this work?
In the classic social disorganization theory, it is argued that besides individual characteristics (like
ethnicity or age), a person’s residential location is very important in determining illegal behavior
(Bruinsma et al., 2013). There are three structural area characteristics which are of importance in
social disorganization: low socio-economic status, high residential mobility and ethnic heterogeneity.
These characteristics would weaken the resistance of residents towards abnormal behavioral norms,
causing social disorganization to be the outcome. Crime is thus seen as mostly “a product of
unfavorable conditions in certain communities” (Gaines & Miller, 2008, p. 45).
………………
(Continues next page)
