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

Table 7 Sample balance (2013 baseline data)—controls (followed up) vs. controls (not followed up)

Variable of interest	Controls (mean/sd)	Treatments (mean/sd)	Difference (mean/se)
	(1)	(2)	(3)
Individual’s basic characteristics
Age	23.84	24.70	−0.86***
Age	(5.02)	(4.85)	(0.27)
Male (1 if male, 0 if female)	0.58	0.63	−0.05*
Male (1 if male, 0 if female)	(0.50)	(0.48)	(0.03)
Married	0.40	0.37	0.03
Married	(0.49)	(0.48)	(0.03)
Years (grades) of education completed	8.59	9.32	−0.73***
Years (grades) of education completed	(3.01)	(2.81)	(0.16)
Individual’s household characteristics
Household size	8.38	9.29	−0.91***
Household size	(4.18)	(4.46)	(0.24)
N of females in a household	3.78	4.09	−0.31**
N of females in a household	(2.29)	(2.64)	(0.14)
N of males (16+) in paid work	1.15	1.18	−0.03
N of males (16+) in paid work	(1.11)	(1.20)	(0.06)
Dwelling has floors made of concrete	0.10	0.06	0.04***
Dwelling has floors made of concrete	(0.30)	(0.24)	(0.02)
Dwelling has floors made of wood	0.87	0.90	−0.04**
Dwelling has floors made of wood	(0.34)	(0.30)	(0.02)
Individual’s employment characteristics
Never had a waged (formal) job	0.69	0.79	−0.10***
Never had a waged (formal) job	(0.46)	(0.41)	(0.02)
If earned money through informal job/self-employment last month	0.28	0.36	−0.08***
	(0.45)	(0.48)	(0.03)
If searched for a paid job last month	0.25	0.33	−0.07***
If searched for a paid job last month	(0.44)	(0.47)	(0.03)
N of observations	569	743

Note: significance level: ***p < 0.01; **p < 0.05; *p < 0.1. Source: authors’ estimates