Education and crime: evidence from Italian regions

Abstract
This study examines the impact of education on criminal activity in Italy. A number of hypotheses are tested regarding the effects of education and past incidence of crime on criminal activity, using annual data for the 20 Italian regions over the period 1980 to 1995. Empirical results show that education is negatively correlated with delinquency and that crime rates display persistence over time. The results are robust to model specifications and endogeneity.
Keywords