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Risky behavior among youth: Incapacitation effects of school on adolescent motherhood and crime in Chile

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  • Berthelon, Matias E.
  • Kruger, Diana I.

Abstract

We analyze the effect of a Chilean school reform that lengthened the school day from half to full-day shifts on the likelihood that adolescents engage in risky behaviors. By increasing the number of hours spent in school, the reform curtails opportunities to engage in risky behaviors that may lead to motherhood and crime. We exploit the exogenous time and regional variations of the reform's implementation to identify the effects of adult supervision on the likelihood that adolescent girls become mothers, and on municipal juvenile crime rates. We find that access to full-day schools reduces the probability of becoming an adolescent mother among poor families and in urban areas, and that the reform reduced youth crime.

Suggested Citation

  • Berthelon, Matias E. & Kruger, Diana I., 2011. "Risky behavior among youth: Incapacitation effects of school on adolescent motherhood and crime in Chile," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 95(1), pages 41-53.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:pubeco:v:95:y:2011:i:1:p:41-53
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jpubeco.2010.09.004
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Risky behavior; Incapacitation; School day reform; Adolescent motherhood; Juvenile crime; Chile;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • H51 - Public Economics - - National Government Expenditures and Related Policies - - - Government Expenditures and Health
    • I18 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Government Policy; Regulation; Public Health
    • I28 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Government Policy
    • J13 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Fertility; Family Planning; Child Care; Children; Youth
    • O15 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Economic Development: Human Resources; Human Development; Income Distribution; Migration

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