TESTING THE BROKEN WINDOW THEORY.

TESTING THE BROKEN WINDOW THEORY. This article in the Economist describes experiments at the University of Groningen in the Netherlands which tested the Broken Windows Theory. The most striking experiment for me (and for the Economist) was “the one that showed a doubling in the number of people who were prepared to steal in a condition of disorder.” In a condition of order, 13% of passersby stole a 5 euro note which could be seen sticking out of a mailbox; in a condition of disorder (surrounding litter, graffiti on mailbox), 27% stole it. I have moved my subjective belief in the Broken Window Theory up to 75%