Steven Levitt and John Donohue defend a finding made famous by “Freakonomics”
Links between abortion and falling crime discomfit many but are clear, say the economists
MORE THAN two decades have passed since we published an academic paper linking the legalisation of abortion to the enormous decline in American crime since the 1990s. The underlying theory is straightforward. Children who are unwanted at birth are at risk of a range of adverse life outcomes and commit much more crime later in life. Legalised abortion greatly reduced the number of unwanted births. Consequently, legalised abortion will reduce crime, albeit with substantial lags.
From the April 13th 2024 edition
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