Bonus to Firearms Seizures and Police Performance
9 Pages Posted: 29 Mar 2022
Abstract
This paper studies the effect of monetary incentives to firearms seizures on police performance and public safety outcomes. Using data from Brazilian states, we evaluate the impact of Pernambuco’s Pact for Life (Pacto pela Vida) Program monetary bonus to police officers on firearms seizures and other outcomes. Our results indicate that the bonus has a causal and positive impact on the number of firearms seizures by police officers. However, although we see a decrease in the number of crimes in Pernambuco, it hardly can be attributed to the bonus policy.
Keywords: Monetary Incentives, Policing, Firearms Seizures, Policy Evaluation
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