tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20142791.post3298969056141927115..comments2024-03-11T07:41:19.149-04:00Comments on The Perfect Substitute: Why So Much Trust, So Little Theft?Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20142791.post-77107402005645496372009-09-02T20:29:03.749-04:002009-09-02T20:29:03.749-04:00One theory that is related to your first suggestio...One theory that is related to your first suggestion is that there is a high opportunity cost of theft. Not only will the student get penalized if they get caught in the immediate future, but it may also have deleterious effects on their future earnings. In an age where there is significant potential for having a high income, the risk of losing that is not one many are willing to take. <br /><br />I'm not sure as to how open the GMU campus is as a whole, but it seems plausible that the threat of an outsider stealing (specifically) your laptop is low. With many other laptops lying around, the most threatened ones are likely to be portable and accessible (i.e., stealing it would be easy). My campus has a similar "No-worries" system and when there appears to be someone (or a group of people) leaving their belongings briefly, social norms kick in and people start paying a little bit more attention to others' stuff.brent butgereithttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11483362567781775909noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20142791.post-17353533783428906942009-09-02T18:59:21.153-04:002009-09-02T18:59:21.153-04:00Let me suggest another possibility:
I systematical...Let me suggest another possibility:<br />I systematically underestimate the possibility that I will be a victim of theft. <br /><br />This is plausible I suppose. But I am not entirely convinced. For one, I would not leave my computer alone if I were in the food court at the JC (...well, maybe if someone were dropping $100 dollar bills or something like that). It is only on the 3rd floor of the library that I am confident enough that my machine will not be stolen. And, as noted, I am not alone in doing so.<br /><br />Of course, if criminals at GMU read this blog they will find new profit opportunities to exploit until those of us Trusters up here update our expectations.Will Lutherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18245369390177307556noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20142791.post-59982704821153168362009-09-02T17:39:46.912-04:002009-09-02T17:39:46.912-04:00Will, I'm not convinced there is "so litt...Will, I'm not convinced there is "so little theft". I know Economics Ph.D. students at GMU who've had their laptops stolen. Also, I see lots of people in the Johnson Center purchase locks for their laptops that allows them to attach it to immovable furniture. Both suggest that theft is a real concern.Davidhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09677258044243356922noreply@blogger.com