The Impact of Income and Family Structure on Delinquency

William S. Comanor and Llad Phillips
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William S. Comanor: University of California, Santa Barbara, http://www.ph.ucla.edu/hs/comanor.html
Llad Phillips: University of California, Santa Barbara, http://www.econ.ucsb.edu/faculty/phillips.htm

Journal of Applied Economics, 2002, vol. 5, 209-232

Abstract: There is no more important issue in the economics of the family than the impact of parents on the behavior of their children. By providing rewards and imposing constraints, parents seek to affect their childrenÂ’s behavior. The explanation of these actions is that the childÂ’s conduct directly enters into the parentÂ’s utility function. In this paper, we use that framework to explore the role of parental control over his or her childÂ’s delinquent behavior. Using data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth, we estimate the impact of family income and various dimensions of family structure on a youthÂ’s contact with the criminal justice system between the ages of 14 and 22. From this analysis, we conclude that the single most important factor affecting these measures of delinquency is the presence of his father in the home. All other factors, including family income, are much less important.

Keywords: family structure; delinquency; role of fathers; role of mothers (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: J12 J13 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2002
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (13)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:cem:jaecon:v:5:y:2002:n:2:p:209-232

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