Abstract
We provide a unifying empirical framework to study why crime reductions occurred due to a sequence of state-level dropout age reforms enacted between 1980 and 2010 in the United States. Because the reforms changed the shape of crime-age profiles, they generate both a short-term incapacitation effect and a more sustained crime-reducing effect. In contrast to previous research looking at earlier US education reforms, we find that reform-induced crime reduction does not arise primarily from education improvements. Decomposing short-and long-run effects, the observed longer-run effect for the post-1980 education reforms is primarily attributed to dynamic incapacitation.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 732-765 |
Number of pages | 34 |
Journal | JOURNAL OF POLITICAL ECONOMY |
Volume | 130 |
Issue number | 3 |
Early online date | 20 Jan 2022 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - Mar 2022 |
Keywords
- Crime
- Education