Risky Behavior among Youths: An Economic Analysis.

• Position: Review

Risky Behavior among Youths: An Economic Analysis, edited by Jonathan Gruber, is available from the University of Chicago Press for $75.00.

Young people routinely engage in risky behaviors that affect not only their immediate well being but also their long-term health and safety. In this NBER conference volume, the authors use economic analysis to study a wide range of unsafe activities, including teen drinking and driving, smoking, drug use, unprotected sex, and criminal activity. They also consider mental health and performance issues such as teenage depression, suicide, nutritional disorders, and high school dropout rates. This important volume provides both a key data source for public policy makers and a clear affirmation of the usefulness of economic analysis to our...