Risky Moms, Risky Kids? Fertility and Crime after the Fall of the Wall

Arnaud Chevalier and Olivier Marie

No 9683, CESifo Working Paper Series from CESifo

Abstract: Following the collapse of the Berlin Wall, the birth rate halved in East Germany. Despite their small sizes, the cohorts conceived during this period of socio-economic turmoil were, as they grew up in reunified Germany, markedly more likely to be arrested than cohorts conceived a few years earlier. This is consistent with negative parental selection during the period of turmoil. We highlight risk attitude as an important selection mechanism, beyond education and other observable characteristics, which explains: (i) why some women did not alter their fertility decisions during these uncertain economic times, (ii) that this risk preference was passed on to their children and (iii) that risk preference is correlated with criminal participation. Maternal selection along risk preference might thus be an important mechanism explaining the greater criminal activity of the children conceived after the fall of the Wall.

Keywords: fertility; crime; parental selection; economic uncertainty; risk attitude (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: J13 K42 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-dem, nep-his, nep-law, nep-ltv and nep-rmg
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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Related works:
Journal Article: Risky moms, risky kids? fertility and crime after the fall of the wall (2024)
Working Paper: RISKY MOMS, RISKY KIDS? FERTILITY AND CRIME AFTER THE FALL OF THE WALL (2019)
Working Paper: RISKY MOMS, RISKY KIDS? FERTILITY AND CRIME AFTER THE FALL OF THE WALL (2019)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:ces:ceswps:_9683

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