Rainfall and crime (India)

We examine the effects of rainfall shocks on various the incidence of crime in India from the years 1971-2000. We find that the incidence of most crimes increases with negative rainfall shocks. Positive rainfall shocks, in contrast, lead to increases in property crimes, but have no effect on non-property crimes. These findings are consistent with economic models of crime emphasizing both opportunity costs and returns.

From a new paper by Blakeslee & Fishman (January 2013). The literature review includes other studies with similar results.