Economics - Research Publications

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    Delinquency, Arrest and Early School Leaving*
    Ward, S ; Williams, J ; van Ours, JC (WILEY, 2021-04)
    Abstract Boys typically initiate delinquent behaviour during their teenage years, and many go on to be arrested. We show that engaging in delinquency and being arrested in youth are each associated with early school leaving. The effect of delinquency on school leaving is largely driven by crimes that produce a monetary return, and the increase in school leaving is greater when onset of these types of crime, and arrest, occur at younger ages. The sizeable impact of delinquency on school leaving highlights the need for crime prevention efforts to extend beyond youth who come into contact with the justice system.
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    Hazardous or Not? Early Cannabis Use, and the School to Work Transition of Young Men
    Williams, J ; van Ours, J (Wiley, 2020-10-01)
    We study the relationship between cannabis use and early labor market experiences of young men, focusing on the time it takes them to find their first job, and the wage rate they receive at that job. We find that early cannabis users accept job offers more quickly and at a lower wage rate compared with otherwise similar males who did not use cannabis. These differences are present only for those who use cannabis for longer than a year before starting their job search. We also find that early cannabis users are less likely to return to education and, as a consequence, will have a lower educational attainment. Overall, our findings provide new insights into the direct and indirect relationships between cannabis use and early labor market experiences.
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    Cannabis prices and dynamics of cannabis use
    van Ours, JC ; Williams, J (ELSEVIER SCIENCE BV, 2007-05-01)
    This paper uses duration models and self-reported cannabis histories from young Australians to study the dynamics of cannabis use. We find that low cannabis prices are associated with early initiation into cannabis use. While the decision to quit does not appear to be directly influenced by price, we find that the younger an individual is when they start using cannabis the less likely they are to quit. Therefore, low cannabis prices lead to early use and because of that they lead to a low quit rate and hence a longer duration of use.