Working Paper: NBER ID: w21962
Authors: Stephen B. Billings; David J. Deming; Stephen L. Ross
Abstract: Why do crime rates differ greatly across neighborhoods and schools? Comparing youth who were assigned to opposite sides of newly drawn school boundaries, we show that concentrating disadvantaged youth together in the same schools and neighborhoods increases total crime. We then show that these youth are more likely to be arrested for committing crimes together – to be “partners in crime”. Our results suggest that direct peer interaction is a key mechanism for social multipliers in criminal behavior. As a result, policies that increase residential and school segregation will – all else equal – increase crime through the formation of denser criminal networks.
Keywords: No keywords provided
JEL Codes: I21; I24
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| Concentration of disadvantaged youth in schools and neighborhoods (I24) | Increase in total crime rates (K42) |
| Direct peer interaction (C92) | Social multiplier in criminal behavior (C92) |
| Increase in number of same school peers within one kilometer (C92) | Increase in likelihood of committing crimes (K42) |
| Similar individuals living near each other and attending the same school (C92) | Higher likelihood of being arrested together for the same crime (K42) |