Steven F. Messner

Steven F. Messner was an American criminologist and sociologist best known for co-developing Institutional Anomie Theory (IAT) with Richard Rosenfeld. A long-time professor at the University at Albany, SUNY, Messner’s research explored the relationship between social institutions, cultural values, and crime rates, particularly in the context of the United States. His work bridged criminology and sociology, offering a macro-level explanation of crime that emphasized structural and cultural factors over purely individual-level explanations.

Messner’s key contribution, alongside Rosenfeld, was the development of IAT, which extended Robert K. Merton’s Anomie Theory by integrating the role of social institutions. They argued that an overemphasis on the cultural goal of economic success, combined with weakened non-economic institutions (e.g., family, education, politics), creates conditions conducive to high crime rates. Their theory has been influential in cross-national crime research and has been tested in various cultural contexts.

Interview

This video interview was conducted as part of the Oral History of Criminology Project. In this conversation, Steven F. Messner reflects on his work in the field of criminology, particularly on institutional anomie theory, and shares insights into the development of his research and academic career.