Waste crime in Italian Regions: A Structural Equation Approach
The main aim of this paper is to analyze the determinants of waste crime in Italy by employing a Structural Equation Approach estimated by the Partial Least Square algorithm (PLS-SEM). By treating waste crime as a latent variable that is directly related to its causes and effects, the PLS-SEM methodology allows us to derive a Waste Crime Index (WCI) at the regional level over the period from 2004 to 2016. This analysis decomposes the overall effects of each cause of WCI from the direct and indirect components.