Crime Exposure and Educational Outcomes in Mexico
| Autor | Pedro Paulo Orraca-Romano |
| Cargo | Departamento de Estudios Económicos, El Colegio de la Frontera Norte |
| Páginas | 177-212 |
Ensayos Revista de Economía, 37(2), 177-212, octubre 2018
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.29105/ensayos37.2-3
ISSN Electrónico: 2448-8402 | ISSN Impreso: 1870-221X | ©2018 Los autores
Citar así: Orraca-Romano, P.P. (20 18) Crime Exposure and Educ ational Outcomes in Mexico. Ensayos Revista de Economía, 37(2),177-212
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.29105/ensayos37.2-3
UANL
UNIVERSIDAD AUTÓNOMA DE NUEVO LEÓN FACULTAD DE ECONOMÍA CENTRO DE INVESTIGACIONES ECONÓMICAS
Crime Exposure and Educational Outcomes
in Mexico
Violencia y desempeño académico en México
Dr. Pedro Paulo Orraca-Romano*
Article information
Abstract
Received:
22 May 2017
Accepted:
21 September 2018
Driven by drug-related crimes, homicide levels in
Mexico have dramatically increased since 2007. This
study examines the effect of s tudents’ exposure to
crime on educational outcomes in Mexico. Using
school-level data, a panel of the country’s elementary
and secondary schools is constructed to analyze the
effect of local homicides on standardized test scores
and grade failure rates. The results show that a one-unit
increase in the homicide rate per 1 0,000 inhabitants is
associated with a reduction in school-level test scores
between 0.0035 and 0.0142 standard deviations, this is
likely being driven by effects of individual test scores
and by co mpositional changes in the student body.
Additionally, a rise in the homicide rate is also
associated with an increase in the grade failure rate. It
is proposed that the negative effects of crime exposure
are partly due to a reduction of the nu mber of contact
hours, and students not compensating for this, by
studying more outside of school. Exposure to
homicides has potentially long-term consequences
since it may affect educational achievement levels and
future income flow.
JEL Classification:
I25; O12; O54; H49
Keywords:
Crime; Academic
Performance;
Homicides; Mexico
*Departamento de Estudios Económicos, El Colegio de la Frontera Norte.
porraca@colef.mx
ensayos.uanl.mx
®
Facultad de
Economía
Orraca-Romano / Ensayos Revista de Economía, 37(2), 177-212
178
Información del
artículo
Resumen
Recibido:
22 mayo 2017
Aceptado:
21 septiembre 2018
Debido a un aumento en el número de delitos
relacionados con el crimen organizado, los niveles de
homicidios en México se incrementaron drásticamente
a partir de 2007. Este artículo estudia los efectos de la
exposición a altos niveles de homicidios sob re los
logros educativos en México. Para ello, se con struye un
panel de escuelas primarias y secundarias a fin de
analizar los efectos de los homicidios sobre los
resultados de la prueba ENLACE y la tasa d e
reprobación. Los resultados muestran que un aumento
en una unidad en la tasa de homicidios por cada 10,000
habitantes está asociado con una reducción en los
resultados de la prueba ENLACE entre 0.0035 y 0.0042
desviaciones estándar, donde estos hallazgos son
producto del efecto negativo sobre los resultados de la
prueba y del cambio en la composición estud iantil
dentro de las escuelas. Asimismo, incrementos en los
niveles de homicidios también están asociados con un
aumento en la tasa de reprobación. Los efectos
negativos generados por los homicidios son, en parte,
producto de una reducción en el número de horas que
los alumnos asisten a la escuela.
Clasificación JEL:
I25; O12; O54; H49
Palabras Clave:
Crimen; Desempeño
académico; Homicidios;
México
Introduction
Driven by drug-related crimes, homicide level s in Mexico have dramatically
increased in recent years. Between 2007 and 2012, ap proximately 121,613
homicides and 66,217 drug-related homicides were committed in the
country.1 The rise in crime and insecurity has proven costl y, totalling 1.4% of
Mexico’s gross domestic product ( GDP) in 2012 (INEGI, 2012). Since
violence affects not only those directly involved in illegal activities, but also
reaches a much broader segment of society, it is likely to affect important
aspects of social welfare. In the short ru n, these include : negatively affecting
school enrolment rates, the number of contact hours, academic performance
and grade failure rates, among others. In the long run, it may influence
educational a ttainment levels and income streams. This study examines the
effect that students’ exposure to local homicides has on educational outcomes
in Mexico. The effects of crime exposure are investigated for both
standardised test scores and grade failure rates.
1 Author’s calculation based on the State and Municipal Database System (SIMBAD) and
Policía Federal (2015).
Orraca-Romano / Ensayos Revista de Economía, 37(2), 135-154
179
The mechanisms linking violent crime exposure and educational ou tcomes
operate across different channels. At the individual-level, it may affect
educational achievement due to cha nges in behaviours or mental health.
Children and adolescents exposed to different types of violence frequentl y
display several symptoms related to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD),
including intensified levels of stress and a lack of awareness, which have
been shown to negatively affect educational outcomes (Osofsky et al., 2004;
Ding et al., 2009). Within the household, parents exposed to high levels of
crime may shift their focus to ensure the basic safety of their children,
dedicating less time and energy towards improving their education (Harding,
2010).
Crime r elated events can also affect the school routine by causing closings
and temporarily interrupting classes. Staff turnover may also increase given
that managing a sc hool in a neighbourhood with high levels of crime can be
difficult as well as risky (Monteiro and Rocha, 2017). If exposure to violent
crimes leads to short term interruptions of classes, students exposed to these
incidents are likely to perform at a consistently lower level throughout the
entire school year.
Students may also attempt to avoid attending school due to safety concerns.
Based on the National Victimization and Perception o f Public Safety Survey
(ENVIPE), Table 1 shows that, in 2010, 7.2% of Mexico’s students reported
that they stopped going to school due to fear of becoming a crime victim.
Moreover, this figure is pos itively related to the homicide rate in their co unty
of residence. Table 1
Due to fear of being a crime victim, did you stop going to school?
Violence by
municipality
Yes
No
Observations
Homicides
Total
7.2%
92.8%
7,237
High
8.9%
91.1%
1,006
Medium
5.8%
94.2%
2,173
Low
3.6%
96.4%
4,058
Drug-related
homicides
High
10.4%
89.6%
3,301
Medium
5.2%
94.8%
3,025
Low
2.5%
97.5%
911
Source: Author’s elaboration based on ENVIPE 2011. Municipalities with high, medium
and low violence levels refer to those located in the upper, medium and lower tercile,
respectively, of the homicide dist ribution. The ENVIPE 2011 was collected during April
and March 2011. Nonetheless, respondents were asked about their perceptions of crime,
insecurity and violence with respect to 2010.
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