Does a Centralized Emergency Response System Increase Crime Reporting Among Minorities? – Evidence from India

Abstract

In this paper, I study the impact of establishing a centralized emergency response system (CERS) in a developing country on atrocities towards historically disadvantaged minorities. To answer this question, I exploit the staggered implementation of CERS between 2013 and 2018 in several states in India to estimate its impact on caste-based crimes. Results of a generalized difference-in-difference approach indicate the presence of a significant reporting effect, that is, an increase in reporting of crimes by minority groups – about 38.56% – in the treated states. Thus, the study contributes to the literature that seeks to shed light on factors that could lead to improvement in reporting of crimes among minority groups.

Keywords: crime in India; crimes against minorities, caste-based crimes, Scheduled Castes and Tribes, state policy, centralized response system

JEL Classification: J15, K14, K15, K40, K42, O53