Less Crime, More Schooling: Evidence from El Salvador’s Gang Crackdown

Sebastián Bustos (), Jose Balmori-de-la-Miyar (), Miguel Santos () and Adan Silverio-Murillo ()
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Sebastián Bustos: Growth Lab, Harvard University
Jose Balmori-de-la-Miyar: Escuela de Negocios, Universidad Anáhuac
Adan Silverio-Murillo: Escuela de Gobierno y Transformación Pública, Tecnológico de Monterrey

No 42, Working Paper Series of the School of Government and Public Transformation from School of Government and Public Transformation

Abstract: The study examines the effect of El Salvador's 2022 state of exception on school attendance. Using household surveys from 2017-2024 and a difference-in-differences design, it compares teenage boys with younger boys. It estimates a four-percentage-point increase in attendance among teenagers, with larger gains in poor households. The results suggest that dismantling gang control reduced barriers to educational investment.

Keywords: El Salvador; gobernanza criminal; pandillas; encarcelamiento; asistencia escolar. (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 39 pages
Date: 2026-09
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https://egobiernoytp.tec.mx/sites/default/files/20 ... vidence_salvador.pdf Full text, September 2026 (application/pdf)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gnt:wpaper:42

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