Abstract
In this paper, we study the crime reducing potential of education, presenting causal
statistical estimates based upon a law that changed the compulsory school leaving age
in England and Wales. We frame the analysis in a regression-discontinuity setting and
uncover significant decreases in property crime from reductions in the proportion of
people with no educational qualifications and increases in the age of leaving school that
resulted from the change in the law. The findings show that improving education can
yield significant social benefits and can be a key policy tool in the drive to reduce crime.
Original language | English |
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Place of Publication | Maastricht, The Netherlands |
Publisher | Research Centre for Education and the Labour Market |
Publication status | Published - Oct 2010 |
Bibliographical note
ROA Research Memorandum SeriesID number: ROA-RM-2010/13
Keywords
- Poverty, work and justice