Crime rates vary considerably by region and these differences are found to be persistent over
time. The persistence of differences in regional crime rates over time may be explained by two
factors. First, differences in the regional institutional and socio-economic conditions that
determine crime equilibrium levels are persistent over time. Second, the effects of shocks
affecting the crime rate are persistent over time. The aim of this paper is to disentangle these
two sources of regional crime persistence in Argentinean regions over 1980-2008 and
subperiods for different typologies of crime. Controlling for socio-economic and deterrence
effect variables, we specify an econometric model to test the persistence of shocks to crime.
Results support high persistence of the effects of shocks to crime.
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