Document Type
Discussion Paper
Publication Date
2-16-2025
CFDP Number
2356R1
CFDP Revision Date
02/16/2025
CFDP Pages
50
Journal of Economic Literature (JEL) Code(s)
I20; I21; I28; J62; K42
Abstract
We study the intergenerational effect of education policy on crime. We use Swedish administrative data that links outcomes across generations with crime records, and we show that the comprehensive school reform, gradually implemented between 1949 and 1962, reduced conviction rates both for the generation directly affected by the reform and for their sons. The reduction in conviction rates occurred in many types of crime. The key mediators of this reduction in child generation are an increase in education and household income and a decrease in crime among their fathers.
Recommended Citation
Ahrsjö, Ulrika; Meghir, Costas; Palme, Mårten; and Schnabel, Marieke, "The Effect of Education Policy on Crime: An Intergenerational Perspective" (2025). Cowles Foundation Discussion Papers. 2838.
https://elischolar.library.yale.edu/cowles-discussion-paper-series/2838
