Why does education reduce crime?

Bell, Brian, Costa, Rui and Machin, Stephen ORCID: 0009-0004-8130-2701 (2018) Why does education reduce crime? CEP Discussion Papers (CEPDP1566). London School of Economics and Political Science. Centre for Economic Performance, London, UK.

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Abstract

Prior research shows reduced criminality to be a beneficial consequence of education policies that raise the school leaving age. This paper studies how crime reductions occurred in a sequence of state-level dropout age reforms enacted between 1980 and 2010 in the United States. These reforms changed the shape of crime-age profiles, reflecting both a temporary incapacitation effect and a more sustained, longer run crime reducing effect. In contrast to the previous research looking at earlier US education reforms, crime reduction does not arise solely as a result of education improvements, and so the observed longer run effect is interpreted as dynamic incapacitation. Additional evidence based on longitudinal data combined with an education reform from a different setting in Australia corroborates the finding of dynamic incapacitation underpinning education policy-induced crime reduction.

Item Type:	Monograph (Discussion Paper)
Official URL:	http://cep.lse.ac.uk/
Additional Information:	© 2018 The Authors
Divisions:	Centre for Economic Performance
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > HN Social history and conditions. Social problems. Social reform H Social Sciences > HV Social pathology. Social and public welfare. Criminology L Education > L Education (General)
JEL classification:	I - Health, Education, and Welfare > I2 - Education K - Law and Economics > K4 - Legal Procedure, the Legal System, and Illegal Behavior > K42 - Illegal Behavior and the Enforcement of Law
Date Deposited:	11 Jan 2019 10:50
Last Modified:	11 Dec 2024 19:29
Funders:	Economic and Social Research Council
URI:	http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/id/eprint/91687

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