Stephen Machin

London School of Economics Website

Stephen Machin is Professor of Economics at the London School of Economics and Director of the Centre for Economic Performance. He holds a Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Warwick.

Voting History

Reducing gun violence

Taking into account both potential implementation challenges and expected efficacy, investing in police-led targeted enforcement directed at places and persons at high risk for gun crime (e.g.,\"hot spot\" policing; gang enforcement) would reduce gun violence.

Vote Confidence
Agree 7
Median Survey Vote Median Survey Confidence
Agree 7
Comments

If done effectively - and it is likely to be expensive, so costs of ineffective targeting could be high.

Taking into account both potential implementation challenges and expected efficacy, investing in police-led focused deterrence programs (clearly communicating “carrots and sticks” to local residents identified as high risk, followed by targeted surveillance and enforcement with some community-based support for those who desist from crime) would reduce gun violence.

Vote Confidence
Agree 7
Median Survey Vote Median Survey Confidence
Agree 6
Comments

Again could prove hard to coordinate effectively and therefore costly if coordination and communication issues ensue.

Taking into account both potential implementation challenges and expected efficacy, investing in purely community-led violence-interruption programs (community-based outreach workers try to mediate and prevent conflict, without police involvement) would reduce gun violence.

Vote Confidence
Disagree 6
Median Survey Vote Median Survey Confidence
Neutral/No Opinion 5
Comments

On such a serious and dangerous issue of gun violence, community outreach alone without police involvement would seem difficult to justify, but this is a very hard issue that may well be more of less suitable for different settings depending on a number of factors, including the issue of how well community/police relations function and historical place specific relevant factors.