Effects of per capita spending on cultural diffusion on drug trafficking rates in municipalities of Minas Gerais

Abstract

In 2020, Brazil had a drug trafficking rate corresponding to 89.9 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, while the state of Minas Gerais stood out negatively by presenting a rate of 180.7 per 100,000 inhabitants, that is, more than double in relation to the country. Thus, given the expressiveness of this statistic and that drug trafficking is influenced by several socioeconomic factors, this study aims to analyze the relationship between per capita spending on cultural diffusion and drug trafficking rates in Minas Gerais municipalities in the period 2013-2017. To this end, an econometric model with dynamic panel data is estimated and the results show that these expenditures negatively impact drug trafficking. This result is due to the ability of culture to promote civic development and strengthen social ties between individuals, which tends to improve social control mechanisms.