Changes in the Scope of the Law: The Effect of Skill and Reputation on Law Enforcement
29 Pages Posted: 23 Jul 2014
Date Written: July 22, 2014
Abstract
The economic analysis of deterrence emphasizes the role of expected sanctions in creating costs to illegal behavior. Typically, the enforcement of the law is compressed into a single probability. This variable is intended to summarize all relevant information regarding not only the chance of observing the violation, but also includes the decisions of the police officers, prosecutors, defense attorneys, judges, jurors, parole boards, etc. While a substantial literature has developed for assessing the objectives of and influences on judges and prosecutors, the incentives facing police officers has been relatively neglected. Our objective is to develop a theoretical environment to assess determinants of policing decisions.
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