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The Impact of Income and Family Structure on Delinquency

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Abstract

There is no more important issue in the economics of the family than the impact of parents on the behavior of their children. By providing rewards and imposing constraints, parents seek to affect their childrenÂ’s behavior. The explanation of these actions is that the childÂ’s conduct directly enters into the parentÂ’s utility function. In this paper, we use that framework to explore the role of parental control over his or her childÂ’s delinquent behavior. Using data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth, we estimate the impact of family income and various dimensions of family structure on a youthÂ’s contact with the criminal justice system between the ages of 14 and 22. From this analysis, we conclude that the single most important factor affecting these measures of delinquency is the presence of his father in the home. All other factors, including family income, are much less important.

Suggested Citation

  • William S. Comanor & Llad Phillips, 2002. "The Impact of Income and Family Structure on Delinquency," Journal of Applied Economics, Universidad del CEMA, vol. 5, pages 209-232, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:cem:jaecon:v:5:y:2002:n:2:p:209-232
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    Cited by:

    1. Corman, Hope & Dave, Dhaval & Kalil, Ariel & Reichman, Nancy E., 2018. "Reprint of: Effects of maternal work incentives on youth crime," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 52(C), pages 193-209.
    2. Samara R. Gunter, 2018. "Child support wage withholding and father–child contact: parental bargaining and salience effects," Review of Economics of the Household, Springer, vol. 16(2), pages 427-452, June.
    3. Ovidiu Chiroban & Danuta Stetco & Claudia Ola & Dan Perju-Dumbrava, 2017. "Particular Aspects Of Juvenile Delinquency In The County Of Cluj," FIAT IUSTITIA, Dimitrie Cantemir Faculty of Law Cluj Napoca, Romania, vol. 11(1), pages 65-70, June.
    4. Sandro de Freitas Ferreira & Suzana Quinet de Andrade Bastos & Admir Antonio Betarelli Junior, 2019. "The role of social control in Brazilian homicide rates," Quality & Quantity: International Journal of Methodology, Springer, vol. 53(6), pages 2695-2717, November.
    5. Stephen T. Mennemeyer & Bisakha Sen, 2006. "Undesirable Juvenile Behavior and the Quality of Parental Relationships," Southern Economic Journal, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 73(2), pages 437-460, October.
    6. Heather Antecol & Kelly Bedard, 2007. "Does single parenthood increase the probability of teenage promiscuity, substance use, and crime?," Journal of Population Economics, Springer;European Society for Population Economics, vol. 20(1), pages 55-71, February.
    7. Matsushita, Raul & Baldo, Dinorá & Martin, Bruna & Da Silva, Sergio, 2007. "The biological basis of expected utility anomalies," MPRA Paper 4520, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    8. Santos, Mateus Rennó & Caetano, Lucas & Caminhas, Diogo & Jaynes, Chae M., 2023. "The protective role of caretakers in the delinquency of detained youth in São Paulo, Brazil," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 145(C).
    9. Uche Eseosa Ekhator-Mobayode & Seyedsoroosh Azizi, 2019. "Does the Presence of Neighborhood Gang Affect Youth Criminal Behavior?," Economics Bulletin, AccessEcon, vol. 39(3), pages 2102-2109.
    10. Rafael Isidro Parra-Peña Somoza, 2019. "Three essays on conflict and climate effects in Colombia," Economics PhD Theses 0419, Department of Economics, University of Sussex Business School.
    11. Corman, Hope & Dave, Dhaval & Kalil, Ariel & Reichman, Nancy E., 2017. "Effects of maternal work incentives on youth crime," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 49(C), pages 128-144.
    12. Nicolò Barbieri & Ugo Rizzo, 2023. "The impact of crime on firm entry," Journal of Regional Science, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 63(2), pages 446-469, March.
    13. Awaworyi Churchill, Sefa & Smyth, Russell & Trinh, Trong-Anh & Yew, Siew Ling, 2022. "Local crime and fertility," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 200(C), pages 312-331.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    family structure; delinquency; role of fathers; role of mothers;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J12 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Marriage; Marital Dissolution; Family Structure
    • J13 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Fertility; Family Planning; Child Care; Children; Youth

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