Identifying the Effect of Education on Crime. Evidence from the Italian Regions

In this paper we develop an econometric approach aimed at estimating the impact of education on the rate of criminality for the twenty Italian regions over the period 1980-1985. Starting from a simple model in which we clearly identify the relationship between the level of education and the rate of criminality, we propose to test our theoretical model and to identify the characteristics of crime behaviour in Italy. In particular, we test which features of our theoretical model are confirmed by the econometric estimates and which features need a more careful analysis determined by the peculiarities of the Italian regions. The primary objective of our econometric estimates is to assess the existence of the relationship between crime and education. But in order to study the Italian reality we account for its peculiarities (slowness in reaching a final judgement, presence of organized crime in Italy, economic dichotomy between the North and the South of Italy).