Kwei Quartey for Michael - Thursday
Kwei Quartey |
Born in Ghana, he now lives with his family in Pasadena, where until recently he practised medicine. Now he is concentrating full time on writing. Our gain! Michael Connelly said of his work: “Searing and original and done just right . . . Inspector Darko Dawson is relentless, and I look forward to riding with him again." If you haven't read any of the Darko mysteries, start with Wife of the Gods. You'll want to read them all.
In this thoughtful and thought-provoking piece, Kwei asks:
Does rising economic inequality lead to more murder?
The income inequality gap appears to
have a relationship to the homicide rate in different countries. Complex, scholarly articles have considered the
question in depth. The FBI has a study on the topic, and there’s
a website called inequality.org. Professor Emeritus Martin
Daly
in the Department of Psychology, Neuroscience and Behaviour at McMaster
University in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada has written a book called Killing the Competition: Economic Inequality and
Homicide. He argues that homicides, which are primarily
male-on-male and not male-on-female as often thought, are rooted in the fierce
competition between and among men. He connects this to income inequality
using one of the most popular measures of inequality, the Gini
coefficient (or index or ratio). You don’t need to know about
the Gini in detail, but essentially, a coefficient of 0% means maximum
equality, and 100% is maximum inequality. So, the higher the Gini, the more
inequitable the society is from an income/economy standpoint.
However, hidden behind this graph is a third element
that could skew the result, specifically, access
to firearms. Compared to the US, for example, Norway has both a low Gini
index and a low homicide-by-firearm rate, but availability of guns in the US is
far greater than in Norway, and it’s fair to wonder how much that difference is
influencing the results.
COUNTRY
|
GINI
COEFFICIENT (%)
|
INTENTIONAL
HOMICIDE RATE (per 100,000 population)
|
Slovakia
|
25
|
1.1
|
Sweden
|
28
|
1.1
|
France
|
29
|
1.2
|
Switzerland
|
30
|
0.5
|
Canada
|
32
|
1.7
|
UK
|
35
|
1.2
|
USA
|
39
|
5.4
|
Turkey
|
40
|
4.3
|
Ghana
|
42
|
6.1
|
Mexico
|
46
|
19.2
|
Brazil
|
47
|
29.5
|
China
|
47
|
0.6
|
Nigeria
|
49
|
9.9
|
Rwanda
|
50
|
2.5
|
South Africa
|
62
|
34
|
Table
1. GINI Coefficient v Intentional Homicide Rate for selected countries
|
Fig. 3 Ghana, West Africa, on the Gulf of Guinea (Shutterstock) |
Fig 4. Luxury high-rise apartments in Accra (Photo: Kwei Quartey) |
Fig. 5 High-rise office building under construction, Accra (Photo: Kwei Quartey) |
Meanwhile, for ordinary
folks, plumbing and road infrastructure go neglected.
Fig. 6 Unauthorized wood shack in Jamestown, Accra, without interior plumbing (Photo: Kwei Quartey) |
This readily observable
inequality appears reflected in Ghana’s Gini coefficient, which is higher than that
of the US, and so is Ghana’s respective homicide rate of 6.1. But according to
the World Bank, Ghana’s homicide rate decreased
overall from 2.2 per 100,000 population in 2001 to 1.7 in
2011. The jump to 6.1 in 2012 is surprising and out of place. Was that an unexplained “blip,” an error
in data collection, or is it indeed correct? I have no figures for the years
following 2012, so we can’t see how the 6.1 data point trended thereafter. I
have requested updated figures from Ghana’s Statistical Service but haven’t yet
heard back from them. Knowing Ghana well, it could be a while.
Thought-provoking. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteYou are most welcome!
DeleteThanks Kwei - great blog.
ReplyDeleteThank you Stan
DeleteSouth Africa comes out particularly badly in murder rate, yet this would suggest that it's once again inequality related. Growing the economy and generating jobs has to be the top priority. That's what the government says too. But their actions often don't agree with their sentiments...
ReplyDeleteSouth Africa is very concerning! I remember in Jo'burg the upscale neighborhoods all protected by high walls and electric fencing--also a common sight in Accra by the way.
DeleteTalk about a timely post, Kwei, this info on South Africa might be playing tonight on FOX NEWS--somewhat enhanced, no doubt.
ReplyDeleteRight, land ownership is one big inequality item in RSA with something like 72% white ownership and 4% black ownership.
DeleteI agree!
ReplyDeleteIs it true that the majority of Swiss households have a firearm? Something to do with their National Service?
ReplyDeleteAnd here, there is a policy of the social services not to return troubled youngsters to the streets they came from. Change of environment, out of gangs, out of poverty often, and away from the repeated familial violence they deal out and are subjected to.
I'm not an expert on it, but I understand Swiss nationals are trained in the use of firearms (not sure if it's EVERYONE) and also have a culture of "respect" for firearms as a means of defending the country and not as weapons against their fellow Swiss. Some of our readers might have more information on it. Switzerland does have its challenges, but I suspect their social services are superior to those of the USA, so your point is well taken, Caro.
ReplyDeleteIt’s been 40 years since I visited my brother then living in Lausanne, but I distinctly remember discussing Swiss defense strategy with some of his colleagues, and central to it (at the time) was that every Swiss household must have a long gun to defend the homeland. That may have changed, but I’m certain the patriotic concept continues.
DeleteYes, I think so. They certainly are a nation unto themselves!
ReplyDeleteJust an aside, Kwei's novel Children of the Street has been chosen as one of Africa's Best Thrillers from Around the Globe by the New York Times. Jeff's book Target is up there too on the Europe list. Congratulations to both of you!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Michael--even though the Times left off the second part of the title (Target: Tinos) :). Congratulations to Kwei, and also happy for Leighton and Tim Hallinan, also on the map. GO MIE!!
DeleteSeveral from Soho Press!
ReplyDelete