Abstract
Objectives: Recent trends in globalization and the recognition that crime is a worldwide phenomenon have led criminologists to theorize causes of crime across the international context. However, barriers to uniform and systematic data collection across countries have limited the ability to test general theories of crime across multiple contexts. To overcome this limitation, the current study tests Agnew’s (2005) general theory of crime and delinquency using data systematically collected from American and Irish adolescents.
Methods: Binomial regression analyses test Agnew’s central theoretical propositions by utilizing the United States and Ireland portions of the second phase of the International Self-report Delinquency Study (ISRD-2). Clogg tests are used to identify any differences between international contexts.
Results: The results provide strong supportive evidence for Agnew’s (2005) central theses on adolescents’ delinquent offending. While most of the adolescents’ individual, family, peer, school, and neighborhood factors had similar effects in both countries, some were significantly different between American and Irish adolescents.
Conclusions: The current study supports the notion of generality in Agnew’s (2005) theory of crime and delinquency and it’s applicability for cross-cultural criminology research. Subtle differences between countries may lend insight into further theoretical refinement of the general theory. Suggestions for future cross-national theory testing related to data collection and analysis are discussed.