Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/36772 
Year of Publication: 
2010
Series/Report no.: 
IZA Discussion Papers No. 5000
Publisher: 
Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA), Bonn
Abstract: 
In this paper, we present evidence on empirical connections between crime and education, using various data sources from Britain. A robust finding is that criminal activity is negatively associated with higher levels of education. However, it is essential to ensure that the direction of causation flows from education to crime. Therefore, we identify the effect of education on participation in criminal activity using changes in compulsory school leaving age laws over time to account for the endogeneity of education. In this causal approach, for property crimes, the negative crime-education relationship remains strong and significant. The implications of these findings are unambiguous and clear. They show that improving education can yield significant social benefits and can be a key policy tool in the drive to reduce crime.
Subjects: 
Crime
education
offenders
JEL: 
I2
K42
Document Type: 
Working Paper

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