Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/282650 
Year of Publication: 
2023
Series/Report no.: 
IZA Discussion Papers No. 16523
Publisher: 
Institute of Labor Economics (IZA), Bonn
Abstract: 
In this article we study the effects of permanent school closures on crime. We leverage the closure of over 300 schools in Scotland between the school years 2006/07 and 2018/19, and employ a staggered difference-in-differences design on a matched sample. We find that neighbourhoods affected by school closures experience a reduction in crime of about 9% of a standard deviation, relative to areas where schools remained open. This effect is mainly driven by a reduction in violent and property crimes. We provide evidence on several mechanisms explaining the negative crime effect, such as changes in neighbourhood composition and reductions in school-level segregation.
Subjects: 
crime
school closures
neighbourhoods
JEL: 
I38
R20
K42
Document Type: 
Working Paper

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