A BEJEAP Contributions article.

Abstract

Although there is a sizeable literature on the effect of private school attendance on academic student outcomes, the number of studies that investigate the impact of school sector on non-academic outcomes is limited. Using a rich data set, we analyze the impact of Catholic school attendance on the likelihood that teenagers use or sell drugs, commit property crime, have sex, join gangs, attempt suicide, or run away from home. We employ propensity score matching methods to control for the endogeneity of school choice. Catholic school attendance reduces the propensity to use cocaine and to have sex for female students. However, it increases the propensity to use and sell drugs for male students.

Submitted: January 28, 2005 · Accepted: March 12, 2006 · Published: May 1, 2006

Originally published in Contributions to Economic Analysis & Policy.

Recommended Citation

Mocan, Naci H. and Tekin, Erdal (2006) "Catholic Schools and Bad Behavior: A Propensity Score Matching Analysis," Contributions to Economic Analysis & Policy: Vol. 5 : Iss. 1, Article 13.
Available at: http://www.bepress.com/bejeap/contributions/vol5/iss1/art13