Abstract

This chapter tests the collective efficacy theory by examining the influence of household and neighborhood vulnerability, as well as organizational and community mechanisms, on the victimization risk for violent crime in poor neighborhoods of Bogotá (Colombia), Lima (Peru), and Santiago (Chile.) To test the theory, the authors apply a random “Survey on Violence in Neighborhoods” in each of the cities. They confirmed that structural factors such as social vulnerability increase the risk of violent victimization, whereas neighborhood attachment and social cohesion are mediating factors that are key to decreasing said risks. However, the influence of neighborhood residential stability and informal social control has not been verified, and, hence, the collective efficacy theory cannot be confirmed for the neighborhoods included in this study.