Working Paper: NBER ID: w16722
Authors: Lance Lochner
Abstract: A growing body of work suggests that education offers a wide-range of benefits that extend beyond increases in labor market productivity. Improvements in education can lower crime, improve health, and increase voting and democratic participation. This chapter reviews recent developments on these 'non-production' benefits of education with an emphasis on contributions made by economists.
Keywords: education; crime; health; good citizenship
JEL Codes: H52; I18; I21; I28; J24; K42
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| Improvements in school quality (I21) | Lower crime rates among students (K42) |
| Increased educational attainment (I24) | Reduction in various types of crime (K42) |
| One-year increase in average education levels (I25) | Reduction in state-level arrest rates (H79) |
| High school completion rates (I21) | Reduction in arrest rates (K42) |
| Early childhood education programs (I21) | Reduction in lifetime crime rates (K42) |