DEVELOPMENT AND SOCIAL-PROBLEMS - THE IMPACT OF THE OFFSHORE OIL INDUSTRY ON SUICIDE AND HOMICIDE RATES

There are few studies in the literature concerning economic developmen t that examine the impact of offshore oil and gas extraction on commun ities and even fewer that use annual data, examine more than one commu nity and account for the degree of involvement of the community in the oil industry. This study rectifies these problems. The results suppor t hypotheses derived from social disorganization and relative deprivat ion theories by demonstrating that higher levels of and rapid changes in development are associated with higher homicide and suicide rates, especially in communities that are more involved in resource extractio n. The utility of the methods and the implications of the results for theory and future research are discussed.