A new paper by Leandro Carvalho and Rodrigo R. Soares analyzes the members of drug-trafficking gangs in the favelas (slums) of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The paper shows that individuals from lower socioeconomic background and with no religious affiliation show a higher probability of joining a gang. Students that have problems at school and take drugs at early ages join gangs at younger ages. Wages within the gang do not depend on education, but on seniority. Moreover, the more violent a member is, the better he is paid. The authors also look at the risk of death: Each additional experience of gun fight is associated with an increase of 2 percentage points in the probability of death in the following two years. Individuals with personality traits associated with aggressiveness and lack of control are also more likely to die.
Newspapers make governments more efficient
The key democratic task of the press is to be a watchdog for governments and politicians. Do the media carry out their duty? A recent IZA Discussion Paper by Francesco Drago, Tommaso Nannicini and Francesco Sobbrio suggests they do. The authors use the presence (or absence) of local newspapers in Italian cities to analyze the effect of media coverage on political outcomes. They find that the entry of newspapers improves the efficiency of the municipal government – especially if the mayor will run again for office. Also, more local newspapers lead to higher participation in municipal elections and increase the probability for incumbent mayors to be reelected.
Girls, take maths and boost your career!
A recent IZA working paper by Juanna Schrøter Joensen and Helena Skyt Nielsen suggests that taking more Math courses in high school can boost girls’ professional careers. The authors show that an institutional change in the Danish high school system that made girls more likely to take Math had positive effects on the girls’ later labor market success: Taking advanced high school math accelerated graduation, attracted girls to high-paid or traditionally male-dominated career tracks and to CEO positions, and as a consequence lead to higher wages for women.