Education, Work, and Crime: Theory and Evidence

Lance Lochner

No 465, RCER Working Papers from University of Rochester - Center for Economic Research (RCER)

Abstract: This paper develops and empirically examines a dynamic model of decisions to work, invest in human capital, and commit crime. By making all three activities endogenous, the model makes a number of new and interesting contributions to the study of crime. First, the model explains why older, more intelligent, and more educated workers tend to commit less of some property crimes than others. Second, the model is useful for analyzing the impacts of education, training, and work subsidies on criminal behavior. Third, unobserved age differences in on-the-job skill investment explain why wages and crime are more negatively correlated at older ages. Fourth, the model predicts a rise in youth crime should accompany the recent rise in returns to skills. Finally, the model suggests that law enforcement policies increase education, training and labor supply, while reducing criminal activity.

Keywords: EDUCATION; CRIMES; WORK (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: D00 E20 I10 J20 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 37 pages
Date: 1999
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-edu and nep-lab
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (29)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:roc:rocher:465

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