Can public works programs reduce youth crime? Evidence from Papua New Guinea’s Urban Youth Employment Project

Ivaschenko, Oleksiy; Naidoo, Darian; Newhouse, David; Sultan, Sonya

doi:10.1186/s40176-017-0101-7

Table 12 Impacts with and without baseline controls

From: Can public works programs reduce youth crime? Evidence from Papua New Guinea’s Urban Youth Employment Project

Variable of interest	Impact (DD), with no baseline controls (mean/se)	Impact (DD), with baseline controls (mean/se)
	(1)	(2)
A. Social behavior associated with crime
Hang out with friends late at night	−0.088**	−0.102**
Hang out with friends late at night	0.036	0.052
Best friend involved in crime last 3 months	−0.120***	−0.124***
Best friend involved in crime last 3 months	0.050	0.047
Gets drunk often (1 or more times per week)	−0.023	−0.034
Gets drunk often (1 or more times per week)	0.072	0.071
Chews betel nut	−0.030	−0.036
Chews betel nut	0.044	0.045
B. Aggressive behavior/violence
Friends have been involved in fights or robberies	−0.159***	−0.169***
Friends have been involved in fights or robberies	0.055	0.051
Used threat or force with somebody	−0.127***	−0.122***
Used threat or force with somebody	0.038	0.038
Have been attacked and fought back	−0.148***	−0.142***
Have been attacked and fought back	0.057	0.05
Damaged somebody’s property for fun/joke	−0.060**	−0.056*
Damaged somebody’s property for fun/joke	0.030	0.030
C. Specific criminal activities (last 6 months)
Involved in stealing	−0.032	−0.020
Involved in stealing	0.045	0.042
Involved in assault (physical or verbal)	0.003	0.020
Involved in assault (physical or verbal)	0.054	0.053
Involved in alcohol-related crime	−0.060	−0.048
Involved in alcohol-related crime	0.046	0.045
Involved in trespassing	0.040	0.040
Involved in trespassing	0.036	0.035
D. Being a victim of specific criminal activities (last 6 months)
Victim of stealing	−0.020	−0.028
Victim of stealing	0.057	0.057
Victim of assault (physical or verbal)	−0.063	−0.062
Victim of assault (physical or verbal)	0.057	0.05
Victim of alcohol-related crime	−0.064	−0.049
Victim of alcohol-related crime	0.048	0.047
Victim of trespassing	0.069*	0.083**
Victim of trespassing	0.039	0.039

Note: baseline controls include age, gender, ethnicity, marital status, education, HH size, living conditions, individual employment status (if ever had a waged job, if informally employed). Significance level: ***p < 0.01; **p < 0.05; *p < 0.1. The sample size is 338 for treatments and 249 for controls. Source: authors’ estimates

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