Improving Police Performance in Rajasthan, India: Experimental Evidence on Incentives, Managerial Autonomy, and Training

A-Tier
Journal: American Economic Journal: Economic Policy
Year: 2021
Volume: 13
Issue: 1
Pages: 36-66

Authors (5)

Abhijit Banerjee (Massachusetts Institute of Tec...) Raghabendra Chattopadhyay (not in RePEc) Esther Duflo (not in RePEc) Daniel Keniston (not in RePEc) Nina Singh (not in RePEc)

Score contribution per author:

0.804 = (α=2.01 / 5 authors) × 2.0x A-tier

α: calibrated so average coauthorship-adjusted count equals average raw count

Abstract

Management matters for firms, but what practices are optimal in hierarchical government organizations? And can skilled managers identify them? A large-scale randomized trial conducted with the police of Rajasthan, India, tested four interventions recommended by senior police officers: limitations of transfers, rotation of duties and days off, increased community involvement, and on-duty training. Field experience motivated a fifth intervention: "decoy" visits by enumerators to register cases, incentivizing staff to improve service. Only training and decoy visits had robust impacts; others were poorly implemented and ineffective. Management reforms can improve policing, but even skilled leaders struggle to identify the optimal interventions.

Technical Details

RePEc Handle
repec:aea:aejpol:v:13:y:2021:i:1:p:36-66
Journal Field
General
Author Count
5
Added to Database
2026-01-24