In my opinion, there's way too much variation in crime rates among different ethnic groups even after accounting for SES for poverty to be the primary determinant of crime.
East Asia presents one of the most interesting case studies because over the past 40 years or so since China started its rapid modernization post-Mao, there has been very little difference between China and wealthier countries in the region such as Japan or South Korea when it comes to things like crime or educational attainment. Given that SES is universally held to be the primary causal factor behind most life outcomes, the fact that there has been no real correlation between SES and things like crime or educational attainment in a region comprising 20% of the global population surely constitutes one of the most non-trivial and interesting data points worthy of study.
In my opinion, there's way too much variation in crime rates among different ethnic groups even after accounting for SES for poverty to be the primary determinant of crime.
East Asia presents one of the most interesting case studies because over the past 40 years or so since China started its rapid modernization post-Mao, there has been very little difference between China and wealthier countries in the region such as Japan or South Korea when it comes to things like crime or educational attainment. Given that SES is universally held to be the primary causal factor behind most life outcomes, the fact that there has been no real correlation between SES and things like crime or educational attainment in a region comprising 20% of the global population surely constitutes one of the most non-trivial and interesting data points worthy of study.