The impacts of social policy or events on individuals’ behavior and well-being
On Wednesday 15 December 2021 Mirjam Linnea Wentzel will hold a trial lecture on a prescribed topic and defend her thesis for the PhD degree at NHH.
Prescribed topic for the trial lecture:
Theories and mechanisms explaining the role of childhood institutions on criminal activity as adult
Trial lecture:
Title of the thesis:
Three Economic Essays on Victimization and Social Policies from Childhood to Retirement
Summary:
The thesis consists of three chapters analyzing the impacts of social policy or events on individuals’ behavior and well-being from childhood to old ages. In the thesis, empirical methods is used together with detailed register data to explore topics related to crime, and social welfare systems.
The topic of the first chapter is the effects of enrolment in formal child care on criminal behavior in youth or early adulthood. Using variation in enrolment created by three reforms in Norway, the study shows that formal child care can decrease the risk of being charged with a criminal offense as a young adult. This suggests that interventions in early childhood can serve as crime prevention measures.
The second chapter studies the impacts of the Utøya mass shooting on survivors, as well as their family members and school peers. We find that the consequences for survivors are large, including negative impacts on education and labor market outcomes, as well as impacts on health. Parents and siblings of survivors are also impacted, with increases in GP visits and psychological diagnoses.
The third chapter examines the effect of the 2011 pension reform in Norway on income, consumption and savings. We find that increased flexibility induces individuals to combine labor market participation with pension claiming, increasing disposable income. This increase in income is reflected in increases in both savings and consumption, showing that the pension system has important implications for household finances.
Defense:
Members of the evaluation committee:
Professor Kjell Gunnar Salvanes (leader of the committee), Department of Economics and Centre of Excellence FAIR, NHH
Associate Professor Anna Bindler, University of Cologne
CNRS-researcher Mathilde Godard, University of Lyon (Université Paris Dauphine-PSL)
Supervisors:
Professor Katrine V. Løken (main supervisor), Department of Economics and Centre of Excellence FAIR, NHH
Professor Matthew Lindquist, Swedish Institute for Social Research, Stockholm University
The trial lecture and thesis defence will be open to the public.