A closer look at labour market status and crime among a general population sample of young men and women

(2020) - Anke Ramakers, Mikko Aaltonen, Pekka Martikainen

Journal: Advances in Life Course Research
Link:: https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S104026081930187X
DOI:: 10.1016/j.alcr.2019.100322
Links::
Tags:: #paper #LabourMarket #Crime
Cite Key:: [@ramakersCloserLookLabour2020]

Abstract

Those in the most criminally active age groups are facing particular difficulties in entering the labour market and accumulating stable work experiences. This study uses a large representative sample of Finnish adolescents to examine how different labour market statuses are associated with crime. Both for men and women, withinindividual variation in employment is inversely linked to all crime measures considered, albeit to a different extent. In addition, qualitatively different categories of non-employment (e.g., non-participation without legitimate reason, studying, being on parental leave) are distinctly associated with crime. The findings underscore the importance of a detailed conceptualization of labour market status in research that aligns with the changed nature of employment and approximates the actual labour market experiences of young adults.

Notes

“oth for men and women, withinindividual variation in employment is inversely linked to all crime measures considered, albeit to a different extent.” (Ramakers et al., 2020, p. 1)

“qualitatively different categories of non-employment (e.g., non-participation without legitimate reason, studying, being on parental leave) are distinctly associated with crime” (Ramakers et al., 2020, p. 1)

“The economic crisis weakened the labour market position of young people more than other age groups (Caliendo & Schmidl, 2016; Carcillo, Fernández, Konings, & Minea, 2015).” (Ramakers et al., 2020, p. 1)

“lack of access to (meaningful) employment in early adulthood can increase the risk of exclusion and criminal behaviour (MacDonald, 1997; Sampson & Laub, 1993).” (Ramakers et al., 2020, p. 1)

“An important contribution lies in this study’s ability to perform fixed-effects models which greatly reduce the chance that the studied relationships are driven by selection bias. Fixed-effects models address selection into employment outcomes by absorbing the variance caused by stable between-individual differences. What remains are the withinindividual differences in both employment and crime, which are the points of interest in our study (Allison, 2009).” (Ramakers et al., 2020, p. 2)

“Hirschi (1969) social control theory assumes that individuals will engage in delinquent behaviour in the absence of close relationships with conventional others. Conventional relationships with co-workers or employers socialize individuals to obey the dominant law-abiding norms and values. Sampson and Laub (1993) emphasize the salience of such adult bonds, also referred to as’ turning points’, for changes in crime during the life course.” (Ramakers et al., 2020, p. 2)