Birth Order and Delinquency: Evidence from Denmark and Florida
Name
704497.pdf
Description
Published version
Size
875.36 KB
Format
Adobe PDF
Checksum (MD5)
5485ffad2f62cc5c77077a633a7da3af
Author(s)
Breining, Sanni
Doyle, Joseph
Figlio, David N
Karbownik, Krzysztof
Roth, Jeffrey
Date Issued
2020
Journal
Journal of Labor Economics
Publisher
University of Chicago Press
Version
Final published version
Abstract
© 2019 by The University of Chicago. All rights reserved. Little is known about the role birth order plays in delinquency and adult crime outcomes that carry significant externalities. We use rich data sets from Denmark and Florida to examine these outcomes and explore potential mechanisms. Despite large environmental differences between the areas, we find remarkably consistent results: in families with two or more children, secondborn boys are 20%–40% more likely to be disciplined in school and enter the criminal justice system than are their firstborn male siblings. We rule out health at birth and school quality as mechanisms but find evidence for the role of parental time investment.
MIT Department
Sloan School of Management
Terms of Use
Article is made available in accordance with the publisher's policy and may be subject to US copyright law. Please refer to the publisher's site for terms of use.
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DOI of Published Version
https://doi.org/10.1086/704497
