Do anti-bullying laws work? New evidence on school safety and youth violence

Joseph J. Sabia () and Brittany Bass ()
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Joseph J. Sabia: San Diego State University
Brittany Bass: University of California–Irvine

Journal of Population Economics, 2017, vol. 30, issue 2, No 3, 473-502

Abstract: Abstract This study is the first to comprehensively examine the effect of state anti-bullying laws (ABLs) on school safety and youth violence. Using existing data from the Youth Risk Behavior Surveys and the Uniform Crime Reports, and newly-collected data on school shootings, we find little evidence that the typical state ABL is effective in improving school safety and student well-being. However, this null finding masks substantial policy heterogeneity. State mandates that require school districts to implement strong, comprehensive anti-bullying policies are associated with a 7 to 13 % reduction in school violence and an 8 to 12 % reduction in bullying. In addition, our results show that strong anti-bullying policy mandates are associated with a reduction in minor teen school shooting deaths and violent crime arrests, suggesting potentially important spillover effects.

Keywords: Bullying; Youth violence; Anti-bullying laws; School shootings (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I18 I28 K0 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2017
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (13)

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DOI: 10.1007/s00148-016-0622-z

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