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on Law and Economics |
| By: | Carmen Villa (Institute for Fiscal Studies) |
| Date: | 2024–11–12 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ifs:ifsewp:24/51 |
| By: | Abril, Veronica; Perez-Vincent, Santiago; Tobon, Santiago (Universidad EAFIT); Vanegas-Arias, Martin |
| Abstract: | This study explores whether procedurally just interactions between police and citizens enhance perceptions of police legitimacy in high-crime environments. We conducted a representative in-person survey across five major Colombian cities, covering about 7 million residents. The survey included a vignette experiment presenting respondents with one of four scenarios that varied police officer respectfulness—characterized by clear communication of intentions—and neutrality. Our findings reveal that respectful behavior from officers significantly boosts citizens' perceptions of police legitimacy. In contrast, neutrality alone, or even combined with respect, does not affect these perceptions. This suggests that respect is an important component of procedural justice in fostering police legitimacy, while the standalone importance of neutrality is questionable. Policymakers should note that emphasizing respectful interactions in police training can foster greater trust and cooperation within communities, aiding effective crime prevention and community policing efforts. Conversely, focusing solely on neutrality without ensuring respect may be insufficient, possibly due to citizens' biases toward specific stereotypes. |
| Date: | 2024–10–24 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:osf:socarx:67urc |
| By: | Bhupatiraju Sandeep (World Bank Group); Chen Daniel L. (TSE-R - Toulouse School of Economics - UT Capitole - Université Toulouse Capitole - UT - Université de Toulouse - EHESS - École des hautes études en sciences sociales - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique - INRAE - Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement); Shareen Joshi (GU - Georgetown University [Washington]); Neis Peter (CERDI - Centre d'Études et de Recherches sur le Développement International - IRD - Institut de Recherche pour le Développement - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique - UCA - Université Clermont Auvergne) |
| Abstract: | This study investigates the impact of social identity on judicial processes and outcomes at the Patna High Court over a decade (2009 to 2019). We employ machine learning algorithms to infer caste status from surnames (names) in court records. We note that a majority of court participants have ‘caste-neutral' names. Though we find no evidence of name-based ‘matching' between litigants and judges, caste-neutral petitioners are 3.3% more likely to choose a caste-neutral advocate. Matching, whether intentional or coincidental, yields notable consequences. Litigants with caste-neutral names who matched with similar judges face a higher likelihood of case dismissal and lower success rates in overturning appeals. However, advocates with caste-neutral names experience less disadvantage in these scenarios. Notably, the adoption of caste-neutral names, while offering some protection, does not fully mitigate the vulnerabilities faced by citizens within India's judicial institutions. |
| Keywords: | Inequality, Social identity, Justice |
| Date: | 2024–10–21 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hal:journl:hal-04752281 |
| By: | Stephen Machin; Matteo Sandi |
| Abstract: | Research studying connections between crime and education is a prominent aspect of the big increase of publication and research interest in the economics of crime field. This work demonstrates a crime reducing impact of education, which can be interpreted as causal through leveraging research designs (e.g., based on education policy changes) that ensure the direction of causality flows from education to crime. A significant body of research also explores in detail, and in various directions, the means by which education has a crime reducing impact. This includes evidence on incapacitation versus productivity raising aspects of education, and on the quality of schooling at different stages of education, ranging from early age interventions, through primary and secondary schooling and policy changes that alter school dropout age. From this evidence base, there are education policies that have been effective crime prevention tools in many settings around the world. |
| Keywords: | crime, education |
| Date: | 2024–10–30 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:cep:cepdps:dp2046 |
| By: | Abril, Veronica; Norza, Ervyn; Perez-Vincent, Santiago; Tobon, Santiago (Universidad EAFIT); Weintraub, Michael (Universidad de los Andes) |
| Abstract: | We study how improving police-citizen interactions increases public trust by experimentally evaluating a police training program in Colombia. The National Police retrained officers in procedural justice principles—such as fairness and respect—while instructing them to intensify citizen interactions. The intervention improved policing frequency, perceptions of fair treatment, and public trust. Our analysis points to strong complementarities between more and better policing: more interactions that lack good behavior or good behavior without increased interactions do not improve trust. We find no impacts on officers’ trust in citizens or beliefs about public trust, implying that institutional change may require more profound efforts. |
| Date: | 2024–10–24 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:osf:socarx:mrh5q |
| By: | Steeve Mongrain and Matteo Pazzona (Simon Fraser University) |
| Abstract: | This paper looks at the impact of policing on investments in private security. It focuses on the UK, which offers an ideal case study due to its robust private security sector and a notable reduction in police officers caused by budget constraints. First, it develops an infinite horizon theoretical model where police forces and potential victims determine their optimal level of investment in security. Second, it empirically investigates the response of various forms of private security employment to changes in the number of police officers engaged in visibly patrolling activities, utilizing a novel dataset. The analysis shows that public police presence crowds out all types of private security employment. Additionally, the study uncovers intriguing heterogeneity; in wealthier and more unequal areas, a positive relationship emerges between public police and private security. Finally, it finds some evidence that both types of security act as substitutes in reducing crime, although the role of policing is stronger. |
| Date: | 2024–10 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:sfu:sfudps:dp24-06 |
| By: | Bénédicte Coestier; Mathieu Bernard; Fabienne Llense; Maxime Lucet |
| Abstract: | During the 2010s, mandatory disclosure of extra-financial information in France has been encouraged by five major laws passed to reinforce corporate social, environmental and climate responsibility of systemic actors, key to the transition process to a low-carbon, circular and sustainable economy. Whether these laws are paper tigers is of the utmost importance in understanding, notably, how firms disclose whendisclosure is mandatory. Considering laws as linguistic formulations and their meanings, we provide a qualitative analysis of Universal Reporting Documents of some of the largest publicly traded French companies (CAC40). We demonstrate that this intense regulation period has fostered a common language, instilling an environmental and climate reporting culture. In addition, based on a variety of accountability profiles - responsiveness-oriented, controllabillity-oriented, and out-of-step firms -, we highlight diverse dynamics as to the appropriation of the successive laws, along with private and institutional standards. |
| Keywords: | Mandatory disclosure, Accountability, Textual analysis, Environment, Climate, Law analysis |
| JEL: | C43 C81 C88 D83 K20 Q56 Q58 |
| Date: | 2024 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:drm:wpaper:2024-32 |
| By: | Thea How Choon; Giovanna Marcolongo; Paolo Pinotti |
| Abstract: | Pressure groups may use bribes, violence, or a combination of both to bend politics to their will, and the choice between these methods of influence can vary depending on the type of institutional regime. We empirically investigate the dynamics of bribes and violence around elections in democracies and autocracies using a novel measure of corruption based on the Panama Papers and other massive data leaks on offshore entities in tax havens, which are often used as vehicles for bribes, and data on attacks against politicians around the world between 1990 and 2015. Evidence from staggered difference-in-differences and regression discontinuity in time models shows that in democracies attacks against politicians escalate before elections, whereas in autocracies bribes increase after elections. These findings align with a theoretical framework in which pressure groups use political violence to sway democratic elections in favor of their preferred candidates, while resorting to bribes to influence the behavior of newly appointed bureaucrats and public officials in autocracies. |
| Keywords: | elections, violence, corruption, pressure groups |
| JEL: | K42 D72 |
| Date: | 2024 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ces:ceswps:_11323 |
| By: | Randi Hjalmarsson (University of Gothenburg); Stephen Machin (London School of Economics and Political Science); Paolo Pinotti (Bocconi University) |
| Abstract: | The economics of crime has emerged as a critical field over the past 30 years, with economists increasingly exploring the causes and consequences of criminal behavior. This chapter surveys key contributions and developments from labor economists, who investigate the (often two-way) intersection of crime with labor market factors, such as education, wages, and unemployment. The chapter underscores the importance of understanding criminal decision-making in economic analysis through the lens of opportunity costs and labor market conditions. Methodological advancements, particularly those addressing causation, have propelled the field forward, enabling more accurate conclusions to be drawn for policy recommendations. The chapter also explores the role of social policies and international contexts, emphasizing the need for evidence-based reforms to effectively reduce crime. This comprehensive review underscores the transformative impact of economics on crime research and its potential to influence real-world policies. |
| Keywords: | economics of crime; labor market; criminal record; education; research directions |
| Date: | 2024–10 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:crm:wpaper:2624 |
| By: | Depetris-Chauvin, Emilio; Durante, Ruben; Gutierrez, Emilio |
| Abstract: | We investigate the relationship between neighboring municipal authorities’ shared party affiliation and inter-jurisdictional cooperation agreements in Mexico. Exploiting a Regression Discontinuity Design in close municipal elections, we show that political alignment with neighboring municipalities translates into higher levels of inter-jurisdictional cooperation. Focusing particularly on crime prevention, we then document that cooperation has observable returns (homicide rates decline significantly) and that the difference in the probability of observing a cooperation agreement between same and different party mayors is larger when the returns to cooperation are higher. |
| Keywords: | Gobernabilidad, Investigación socioeconómica, |
| Date: | 2024 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:dbl:dblwop:2298 |
| By: | OECD |
| Abstract: | The increasing need in certain jurisdictions to engage in a “more economic” or an “effects-based” approach to establish competition law violations have raised the question of whether the standard of proof and the related evidentiary standard are set to a level which make it excessively difficult for competition authorities to prove their cases. But what has led to this widespread perception? Is there something that could or should be done? While this paper does not seek to provide definitive answers or recommend specific actions, it does provide an overview of the current policy landscape and an analysis of the evidentiary elements for decision makers . This paper also presents a practical perspective of the standard and burden of proof that could be useful for competition authorities in building their cases. |
| Date: | 2024–11–12 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:oec:dafaac:318-en |
| By: | Dehez, Pierre (Université catholique de Louvain, LIDAM/CORE, Belgium); Ferey, Samuel (University of Lorraine) |
| Abstract: | Leniency programs in antitrust investigations exist in Europe since the late nineties. They cover secret agreements and concerted practices between companies, and provide total or partial immunity to companies reporting evidence. This raises the question of assessing correctly the contribution of each company that take part in a leniency program. This question is formalized within a cooperative game with transferable utility. The resulting game being convex, its core is nonempty and contains the Shapley value in its center. It defines a reference allocation that treats the participants symmetrically. In practice, companies report sequentially leading to allocations that are vertices of the core. |
| Keywords: | Competition law ; leniency programs ; core ; Shapley value |
| JEL: | L40 K21 C71 |
| Date: | 2024–05–13 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:cor:louvco:2024008 |