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Can Institutions be Reformed from Within? Evidence from a Randomized Experiment with the Rajasthan Police

Author

Listed:
  • Abhijit Banerjee
  • Raghabendra Chattopadhyay
  • Esther Duflo
  • Daniel Keniston
  • Nina Singh

Abstract

Institutions in developing countries, particularly those inherited from the colonial period, are often thought to be subject to strong inertia. This study presents the results of a unique randomized trial testing whether these institutions can be reformed through incremental administrative change. The police department of the state of Rajasthan, India collaborated with researchers at US and Indian universities to design and implement four interventions to improve police performance and the public’s perception of the police in 162 police stations (covering over one-fifth of the State’s police stations and personnel): (1) placing community observers in police stations; (2) a freeze on transfers of police staff; (3) in-service training to update skills; and (4) weekly duty rotation with a guaranteed day off per week. These reforms were evaluated using data collected through two rounds of surveys including police interviews, decoy visits to police stations, and a large-scale public opinion and crime victimization survey—the first of its kind in India. [BREAD Working Paper No. 324]. URL:[http://ipl.econ.duke.edu/bread/papers/working/324.pdf].

Suggested Citation

  • Abhijit Banerjee & Raghabendra Chattopadhyay & Esther Duflo & Daniel Keniston & Nina Singh, 2012. "Can Institutions be Reformed from Within? Evidence from a Randomized Experiment with the Rajasthan Police," Working Papers id:4813, eSocialSciences.
  • Handle: RePEc:ess:wpaper:id:4813
    Note: Institutional Papers
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    Keywords

    Indian states; Police; archetypal sclerotic institution; ex-Soviet states; South Africa; India; Malaysia; colonial power; Police Act; population; victim satisfaction; Rajasthan; institutions; colonial era;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • H11 - Public Economics - - Structure and Scope of Government - - - Structure and Scope of Government
    • 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
    • O22 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Development Planning and Policy - - - Project Analysis

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