Hidalgo, Eduardo's research dataset examines changes in drug-related homicides across Mexican municipalities following NAFTA's 1994 introduction. It compares municipalities with and without predicted drug-trafficking routes, finding a significant increase in homicides on these routes. The analysis tests the hypothesis that the trade policy increased cartel profits and violent competition.
Use Cases
- Analyze the relationship between predicted drug-trafficking routes and homicide rate changes across municipalities.
- Test economic hypotheses linking trade policy (NAFTA) to changes in violent crime patterns using municipal-level data.
- Compare pre- and post-NAFTA homicide rates in municipalities with different exposure to drug trafficking.
Strengths
- Dataset is based on a published research hypothesis linking a specific policy (NAFTA) to measurable outcomes (homicide rates).
- Analysis quantifies a specific effect size: a 2.1 per 100,000 increase in homicides on trafficking routes, equivalent to 26% of the pre-NAFTA mean.
Limitations
- The core data columns (e.g., homicide counts, route indicators, municipal identifiers) are unknown, limiting reproducibility.
- Sample data and file formats are unavailable, preventing assessment of data structure and usability.
- The dataset's temporal coverage and geographic granularity (likely Mexican municipalities) are not explicitly detailed.
Provenance
- Source
- ICPSR Harvested Dataverse, author Eduardo Hidalgo.
- Collection Method
- Research data compiled to test a hypothesis on NAFTA's impact, using predicted least cost paths as drug-trafficking routes.
- Time Range
- Centered around NAFTA's 1994 introduction, specific years not stated.
- Freshness
- null
- Geography
- Municipalities in Mexico.