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Better Together? Social Networks in Truancy and the Targeting of Treatment

Author

Listed:
  • Magdalena Bennett
  • Peter Bergman

Abstract

There is concern that the risky behaviors of teenagers, such as truancy, negatively influence the behaviors of others through their social networks. We use administrative data to construct social networks based on students who are truant together. We simulate these networks to document that certain students systematically coordinate their absences. We validate them by showing that a parent information intervention on student absences has spillover effects from treated students onto their peers. Excluding these effects understates the intervention’s cost-effectiveness by 43%. We show that there is potential to use networks to target interventions more efficiently given a budget constraint.

Suggested Citation

  • Magdalena Bennett & Peter Bergman, 2021. "Better Together? Social Networks in Truancy and the Targeting of Treatment," Journal of Labor Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 39(1), pages 1-36.
    • Handle: RePEc:ucp:jlabec:doi:10.1086/708672
    DOI: 10.1086/708672
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    Cited by:

    1. Verstappen, Ksenia, 2018. "Economics of big data: review of best papers for January 2018," MPRA Paper 85520, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    2. Samuel Berlinski & Matias Busso & Taryn Dinkelman & Claudia Martínez A., 2025. "Reducing Parent–School Information Gaps and Improving Education Outcomes: Evidence from High-Frequency Text Messages," Journal of Human Resources, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 60(4), pages 1284-1322.
    3. Goulas, Sofoklis & Megalokonomou, Rigissa & Zhang, Yi, 2025. "Female neighbors and careers in science," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 54(7).
    4. Ma, Liping & Ha, Wei & Cao, Yulian, 2024. "College peer effects on learning behaviors in synchronous online courses," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 86(C).
    5. William C. Horrace & Hyunseok Jung & Jonathan L. Presler & Amy Ellen Schwartz, 2025. "What makes a classmate a peer? Examining which peers matter in NYC elementary schools," Journal of Population Economics, Springer;European Society for Population Economics, vol. 38(3), pages 1-28, September.
    6. Matthew A Lenard & Mikko Silliman, 2025. "Informal social interactions, academic achievement and behavior: Evidence from peers on the school bus," The Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 135(671), pages 2359-2373.

    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • D85 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty - - - Network Formation
    • I20 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - General

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