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Proud to Belong: The Impact of Ethics Training on Police Officers in Ghana

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  • Harris, Donna
  • Borcan , Oana
  • Serra, Danila
  • Telli, Henry
  • Schettini, Bruno
  • Dercon, Stefan

Abstract

We examine the impact of ethics and integrity training on police officers in Ghana through a randomized field experiment. The program, informed by theoretical work on the role of identity and motivation in organizations, aimed to re-activate intrinsic motivations to serve the public, and to create a new shared identity of “Agent of Change.†Data generated by an endline survey conducted 20 months post training, show that the program positively affected officers’ values and beliefs regarding on the job unethical behavior and improved their attitudes toward citizens. The training also lowered officers’ propensity to behave unethically, as measured by an incentivized cheating game conducted at endline. District-level administrative data for a subsample of districts are consistent with a significant impact of the program on officers’ field behavior in the short-run.

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  • Harris, Donna & Borcan , Oana & Serra, Danila & Telli, Henry & Schettini, Bruno & Dercon, Stefan, 2024. "Proud to Belong: The Impact of Ethics Training on Police Officers in Ghana," CEPR Discussion Papers 19141, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    • Handle: RePEc:cpr:ceprdp:19141
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    JEL classification:

    • H76 - Public Economics - - State and Local Government; Intergovernmental Relations - - - Other Expenditure Categories
    • K42 - Law and Economics - - Legal Procedure, the Legal System, and Illegal Behavior - - - Illegal Behavior and the Enforcement of Law
    • M53 - Business Administration and Business Economics; Marketing; Accounting; Personnel Economics - - Personnel Economics - - - Training
    • D73 - Microeconomics - - Analysis of Collective Decision-Making - - - Bureaucracy; Administrative Processes in Public Organizations; Corruption

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