We study the link between parental selection and children criminality using a natural experiment which dramatically affected fertility decisions. Following the collapse of the communist regime in East Germany in 1989 the number of births more than halved. As well as in size, these cohorts markedly differ in parental composition. We assess whether this resulted in changes in these children’s criminal participation. We find that were almost 30 percent more likely to be arrested, that this huge effect is observed for most offence types, and that it is as strong for both genders. We highlight a new mechanism linking fertility and crime: the intergenerational transmission of risk preferences from mothers to children which was more pronounced for this cohort and especially for ‘risk loving’ moms.

Co-author: Oliver Marie