This research examined cross-national variation in thefts, focusing exclusively on less developed nations, as these nations are developing in a historical and situational context that is substantially different from the one under which already developed nations evolved. The research employed a larger sample of nations than has been used by any previous cross-national research on property crimes, and analysis included variables representing the three major theoretical perspectives on cross-national crime. Three additional variables-an indicator of political rights, the percentage of the population that is Protestant, and the percentage that is Catholic-were included in tile analysis in order to represent previously neglected political and cultural aspects of nations. Of the variables representing tile three major theoretical perspectives, only Gross Domestic Product per Person exhibited a significant association to theft rates. Both Political Rights and Percent Protestant exhibited significant positive association to theft rates. Tile implications of these results are discussed.
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