Inequality, grievances, and the variability in homicide rates

Homicide rates vary dramatically both between and within countries. Income inequality is the best established correlate of this variability, but many other possible contributors to the variance have been proposed. The most influential of these appears to be the availability of impartial third-party dispute resolution, which obviates the need for “self-help” justice. The “legitimacy” of government and its institutions is a closely related …