American Economic Journal:
Economic Policy
ISSN 1945-7731 (Print) | ISSN 1945-774X (Online)
The Effect of Early Childhood Education on Adult Criminality: Evidence from the 1960s through 1990s
American Economic Journal: Economic Policy
vol. 15,
no. 1, February 2023
(pp. 37–69)
Abstract
We compare the effects of early childhood education on adult criminal behavior across time periods, using administrative crime data that provide significant precision advantages over existing work. We find that improvements in early childhood education led to large (20 percent) reductions in later criminal behavior, reductions that far exceed those implied by estimates of test score gains in prior studies. While the benefits generated account for a large portion of the costs of the education provided, we find substantial relative gains from the targeting of funds to high-poverty areas and areas without existing access to subsidized care.Citation
Anders, John, Andrew C. Barr, and Alexander A. Smith. 2023. "The Effect of Early Childhood Education on Adult Criminality: Evidence from the 1960s through 1990s." American Economic Journal: Economic Policy 15 (1): 37–69. DOI: 10.1257/pol.20200660Additional Materials
JEL Classification
- H75 State and Local Government: Health; Education; Welfare; Public Pensions
- I21 Analysis of Education
- I26 Returns to Education
- I28 Education: Government Policy
- I32 Measurement and Analysis of Poverty
- I38 Welfare, Well-Being, and Poverty: Government Programs; Provision and Effects of Welfare Programs
- K42 Illegal Behavior and the Enforcement of Law