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The economic determinants of truancy

Author

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  • Burgess, Simon
  • Gardiner, Karen
  • Propper, Carol

Abstract

Truancy is often seen as irrational behaviour on the part of school age youth. This paper takes the opposite view and models truancy as the solution to a time allocation problem in which youths derive current returns from activities that reduce time spent at school. The model is estimated using a US panel dataset, the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979, and the estimation allows for the possible endogeneity of returns from these competing activities. The results show that truancy is a function of the estimated economic returns from work, crime and school.

Suggested Citation

  • Burgess, Simon & Gardiner, Karen & Propper, Carol, 2002. "The economic determinants of truancy," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 6379, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    • Handle: RePEc:ehl:lserod:6379
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    File URL: http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/6379/
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Christian Dustmann & Najma Rajah & Stephen Smith, 1997. "Teenage truancy, part-time working and wages," Journal of Population Economics, Springer;European Society for Population Economics, vol. 10(4), pages 425-442.
    2. V. Joseph Hotz & Lixin Colin Xu & Marta Tienda & Avner Ahituv, 2002. "Are There Returns To The Wages Of Young Men From Working While In School?," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 84(2), pages 221-236, May.
    3. Stephen V. Cameron & James J. Heckman, 2001. "The Dynamics of Educational Attainment for Black, Hispanic, and White Males," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 109(3), pages 455-499, June.
    4. Ruhm, Christopher J, 1997. "Is High School Employment Consumption or Investment?," Journal of Labor Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 15(4), pages 735-776, October.
    5. Zvi Eckstein & Kenneth I. Wolpin, 1999. "Why Youths Drop Out of High School: The Impact of Preferences, Opportunities, and Abilities," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 67(6), pages 1295-1340, November.
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    Cited by:

    1. Francesca Foliano & Elena Meschi & Anna Vignoles, 2010. "Why do children become disengaged from school?," DoQSS Working Papers 10-06, Quantitative Social Science - UCL Social Research Institute, University College London.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    truancy; returns to education;

    JEL classification:

    • N0 - Economic History - - General

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