PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Eren, Ozkan
AU  - Figlio, David
AU  - Mocan, Naci
AU  - Ozturk, Orgul
TI  - School Accountability, Long-Run Criminal Activity, and Self-Sufficiency<sup>*</sup>
AID  - 10.3368/jhr.0723-13034R1
DP  - 2025 Aug 08
TA  - Journal of Human Resources
PG  - 0723-13034R1
4099  - http://jhr.uwpress.org/content/early/2025/08/01/jhr.0723-13034R1.short
4100  - http://jhr.uwpress.org/content/early/2025/08/01/jhr.0723-13034R1.full
AB  - This paper examines the impact of school accountability on adult crime and economic self-sufficiency. We employ a unique source of linked administrative data from a Southern state and exploit exogenous variation generated by the state‘s accountability regime. Our findings indicate that a school‘s receipt of a lower accountability rating, at the bottom end of the ratings distribution, decreases their students‘ criminal involvement and the likelihood of being incarcerated in adulthood. However, we do not find any meaningful relationship between a lower accountability rating and enrollment in social welfare programs. Further examination of the mechanisms reveals that accountability pressures prompted schools to implement policies that led to changes in school climate.