School Starting Age and the Crime-age Profile

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Landerso, Rasmus; Nielsen, Helena Skyt; Simonsen, Marianne
• 署名单位: Aarhus University
• 刊物名称: ECONOMIC JOURNAL
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0013-0133
• DOI: 10.1111/ecoj.12325
• 发表日期: 2017
• 页码: 1096-1118
• 关键词: relative standards; adhd diagnoses

摘要

This article uses register-based data to investigate the effects of school starting age on crime. Through this, we provide insights into the determinants of crime-age profiles. We exploit that Danish children typically start first grade in the calendar year they turn seven, which gives rise to a discontinuity in school starting age for children born around new year. Our analysis speaks against a simple invariant crime-age profile as is popular in criminology: we find that higher school starting age lowers the propensity to commit crime at young ages. We also find effects on the number of crimes committed for boys.