The Intended and Unintended Effects of a Crime-Deterrence Experiment on Academic Outcomes: Evidence from High-Intensity Streetlights
Samantha Cervantes, Syracuse University, will present her co-authored paper with Amy Ellen Schwartz, University of Delaware, “The Intended and Unintended Effects of a Crime-Deterrence Experiment on Academic Outcomes: Evidence from High-Intensity Streetlights.” The paper examines the consequences for children of a 2016 NYPD experiment that installed high-intensity light towers in high-crime public housing developments. The study links the experimental data to geocoded student records, incident-level crime data, and detailed public housing and building characteristics. Leveraging variation in treatment intensity and building height, the authors find that while high-intensity treatment sharply reduced crime, students’ academic outcomes did not improve on average. The null masks substantial heterogeneity by building height: students in taller buildings gained in achievement and attendance, while students in shorter buildings – where residential light intrusion was likely greater – experienced sizable losses in math achievement. Additional analyses suggest that these losses are more consistent with residential light intrusion than with differential crime reductions or changes in schooling. The findings show how the built environment can shape who benefits from place-based interventions and who bears their unintended costs.
Speaker Bios
Samantha Cervantes is a Ph.D. candidate in Public Administration at Syracuse University’s Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs. Her research interests are in urban and education policy, focusing on neighborhood effects and the links between schools, housing, and public safety. Prior to her Ph.D. program, she worked as a policy consultant at ITAM’s Center for Competitiveness Studies, conducting impact evaluations on issues related to competitiveness and economic development. Samantha holds an M.Sc. in Applied Economics from ITAM.
Amy Ellen Schwartz is a professor of public policy at the University of Delaware’s Biden School of Public Policy & Administration and professor emeritus of economics and public affairs at Syracuse University’s Maxwell School and of public policy and economics at NYU’s Robert F. Wagner School of Public Service. Her research examines the intersection of schools, neighborhoods, and public services with children’s academic, health, and social outcomes, and she is a leading expert in using large-scale administrative data for policy research. She currently serves on the APPAM Policy Council and on editorial boards for several journals, including the Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, Journal of Housing Economics, and Education Finance and Policy.