Does compulsory military service influence crime rates? Evidence from Taiwan

Abstract

This study investigates the effects of compulsory military service on adolescent crime. I exploit the reduction in the duration of Taiwan’s compulsory military service from one year to four months, which started in 2013. Using a triple difference approach, I find that the shorter service duration has led to a 36% increase in the number of adolescent male suspects and a 30% increase in crime rates. In particular, by enacting a 67% reduction in the time adolescents are incapacitated by military service, the reform has allowed adolescent males to engage in more criminal activities. My findings indicate that military service helps reduce crime; specifically, they suggest that the incapacitation effect of compulsory military service rather than the positive values (discipline,
obedience, and collaboration) cultivated in a military camp has the most substantial impact on crime rates.

Keywords: Crime, Military service, Triple-difference approach

JEL Classification: H56, H70, K42