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Local Mass Layoffs and Juvenile Delinquency

Iryna Hayduk & Maude Toussaint‐Comeau

Economic Development Quarterly2026https://doi.org/10.1177/08912424251409695article
ABDC B
Weight
0.50

Abstract

This paper is motivated by two broad important facts: (1) A vast body of research shows that juvenile delinquency has long-run consequences (e.g., adverse school and labor market outcomes) and (2) parents’ economic and financial conditions affect children's outcomes. Yet, there is limited causal evidence on the impact of adults’ joblessness on juvenile delinquency. To fill this gap, the authors utilize county-level unexpected layoff events to assess their impact on youth delinquency behavior and identify the channels through which this relationship is exerted. Using fixed-effect estimates, the authors find that adult male joblessness heightens a broad array of juvenile delinquency incidences. The observed effect is mainly driven by nonmetropolitan counties with low unemployment insurance replacement rates, large female-male wage gaps, high child poverty rates, and low social capital. The findings have implications for policies that support youth, improve job security, and curb inhibiting labor demand factors that affect the stability of families.

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https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1177/08912424251409695

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@article{iryna2026,
  title        = {{Local Mass Layoffs and Juvenile Delinquency}},
  author       = {Iryna Hayduk & Maude Toussaint‐Comeau},
  journal      = {Economic Development Quarterly},
  year         = {2026},
  doi          = {https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1177/08912424251409695},
}

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Evidence weight

0.50

Balanced mode · F 0.40 / M 0.15 / V 0.05 / R 0.40

F · citation impact0.50 × 0.4 = 0.20
M · momentum0.50 × 0.15 = 0.07
V · venue signal0.50 × 0.05 = 0.03
R · text relevance †0.50 × 0.4 = 0.20

† Text relevance is estimated at 0.50 on the detail page — for your query’s actual relevance score, open this paper from a search result.