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Heterogeneity in Criminal Behavior after Child Birth: The Role of Ethnicity

Author

Listed:
  • Kabir Dasgupta

    (NZ Work Research Institute, Faculty of Business, Economics and Law at AUT University)

  • André Diegmann

    (Halle Institute for Economic Research,Centre for European Economic Research)

  • Tom Kirchmaier

    (Centre for Economic Performance, London School of Economics and Copenhagen Business School)

  • Alexander Plum

    (NZ Work Research Institute, Faculty of Business, Economics and Law at AUT University)

Abstract

This paper documents behavioral differences in parental criminality between majority and minority ethnic groups after child birth. The particular effect we exploit is that of the gender of the first-born child on fathers’ convictions rates. Based on detailed judicial and demographic data from New Zealand, we first show that the previously documented inverse relationship between having a son and father’s criminal behaviour holds across the average of the population. However, when splitting the fathers’ sample by ethnicity, the effect appears to be entirely driven by the white part of the population and that there is no effect on the native M¯aori. The strong ethnic divide is observed along many dimensions and challenges the implicitly made assumption in the economics of crime literature that findings are universally applicable across cultures and race.

Suggested Citation

  • Kabir Dasgupta & André Diegmann & Tom Kirchmaier & Alexander Plum, 2020. "Heterogeneity in Criminal Behavior after Child Birth: The Role of Ethnicity," Working Papers 2020-10, Auckland University of Technology, Department of Economics, revised Nov 2020.
  • Handle: RePEc:aut:wpaper:202010
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Will Dobbie & Hans Grönqvist & Susan Niknami & Mårten Palme & Mikael Priks, 2018. "The Intergenerational Effects of Parental Incarceration," NBER Working Papers 24186, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
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    3. Samuel Norris & Matthew Pecenco & Jeffrey Weaver, 2021. "The Effects of Parental and Sibling Incarceration: Evidence from Ohio," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 111(9), pages 2926-2963, September.
    4. Grogger, Jeff, 1992. "Arrests, Persistent Youth Joblessness, and Black/White Employment Differentials," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 74(1), pages 100-106, February.
    5. Lawrence F. Katz & Jeffrey R. Kling & Jeffrey B. Liebman, 2001. "Moving to Opportunity in Boston: Early Results of a Randomized Mobility Experiment," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 116(2), pages 607-654.
    6. Michael Baker & Kevin Milligan, 2016. "Boy-Girl Differences in Parental Time Investments: Evidence from Three Countries," Journal of Human Capital, University of Chicago Press, vol. 10(4), pages 399-441.
    7. Raj Chetty & Nathaniel Hendren & Lawrence F. Katz, 2016. "The Effects of Exposure to Better Neighborhoods on Children: New Evidence from the Moving to Opportunity Experiment," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 106(4), pages 855-902, April.
    8. Grönqvist, Hans & Niknami, Susan & Palme, Mårten & Priks, Mikael, 2024. "The Intergenerational Effects of Parental Incarceration," Working Papers in Economics and Statistics 12/2024, Linnaeus University, School of Business and Economics, Department of Economics and Statistics.
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Crime Research; Racial Bias;

    JEL classification:

    • K42 - Law and Economics - - Legal Procedure, the Legal System, and Illegal Behavior - - - Illegal Behavior and the Enforcement of Law
    • K49 - Law and Economics - - Legal Procedure, the Legal System, and Illegal Behavior - - - Other
    • L38 - Industrial Organization - - Nonprofit Organizations and Public Enterprise - - - Public Policy

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