When crime doesn't pay

A bizarre London crime wave, thieves stealing car parcel shelves and reselling them on eBay, becomes a way into the economics of crime. Taylor sketches the Becker-style idea that criminals weigh proceeds against the costs of getting caught, then argues the numbers here do not add up: smashing a windscreen is conspicuous, the shelves are bulky and hard to store, and you do not strictly need one anyway. Useful for rational choice, cost-benefit analysis and thin resale markets, and a good challenge to whether the 'rational criminal' model really holds. It is a short, playful piece rather than a core resource, and Taylor herself flags the model as reductive, but it is accessible to all and a nice hook for behavioural discussion, or to use alongside the crime decisions simulator here.   Read here