The Impact of Abortion on Crime and Crime-Related Behavior

35 Pages Posted: 29 Jul 2019

See all articles by Randi Hjalmarsson

Randi Hjalmarsson

University of Gothenburg

Andreea Mitrut

University of Gothenburg

Cristian Pop-Eleches

Columbia University - School of International & Public Affairs (SIPA)

Multiple version iconThere are 2 versions of this paper

Date Written: June 2019

Abstract

The 1966 abolition and 1989 legalization of abortion in Romania immediately doubled and decreased by about a third the number of births per month, respectively. To isolate the link between abortion access and crime while abstracting from cohort and general equilibrium effects, we compare birth month cohorts on either side of the abortion regime. For both the abolition and legalization of abortion, we find large and significant effects on the level of crime and risky-behavior related hospitalization, but an insignificant effect on crime and hospitalization rates (i.e. when normalizing by the size of the birth month cohort). In other words, the Romanian abortion reforms did affect crime, but all of the effect appears to be driven by cohort size effects rather than selection or unwantedness effects.

Keywords: Abortion, crime, Risky behavior

JEL Classification: I18, J13, J18, K42

Suggested Citation

Hjalmarsson, Randi and Mitrut, Andreea and Pop-Eleches, Cristian (Kiki), The Impact of Abortion on Crime and Crime-Related Behavior (June 2019). CEPR Discussion Paper No. DP13800, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3428320

Randi Hjalmarsson (Contact Author)

University of Gothenburg ( email )

Box 640
Vasagatan 1, E-building, floor 5 & 6
Göteborg, 40530
Sweden

HOME PAGE: http://economics.handels.gu.se/english/staff/professors/randi-hjalmarsson

Andreea Mitrut

University of Gothenburg ( email )

Gothenburg
Sweden

Cristian (Kiki) Pop-Eleches

Columbia University - School of International & Public Affairs (SIPA) ( email )

420 West 118th Street
New York, NY 10027
United States

HOME PAGE: http://www.columbia.edu/~cp2124

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