Do strong communities increase homicide? an evaluation of the Nisbett‐Cohen thesis

Cohen (1998) describes a study showing that, in the US, regionally distributed culture controls the direction of the relationship between social disorganization and homicide rates. In the South and West, where, according to the Nisbett‐Cohen theory, there is a “culture of honor”, strong community and family bonds increase argumentrelated homicides. Conversely, in the North, where cultural beliefs do not support violence in response to insults, strong social bonds decrease argument‐related homicides. A reanalysis shows that Cohen’s results are due to a few counties with atypical values that heavily influence the slope estimates. The data do not provide support for the Nisbett‐Cohen thesis that regional patterns in US homicide can be attributed to a culture of honor.