Effect of Linking Career Prospects with Public Feedback on Police Performance

Last registered on September 17, 2024
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Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
Effect of Linking Career Prospects with Public Feedback on Police Performance
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0014358
Initial registration date
September 13, 2024

Initial registration date is when the trial was registered.

It corresponds to when the registration was submitted to the Registry to be reviewed for publication.

First published
September 17, 2024, 1:46 PM EDT

First published corresponds to when the trial was first made public on the Registry after being reviewed.

Locations

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Primary Investigator

Name
BILAL RAZA
Affiliation
UNIVERSITY OF DELAWARE
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Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Name
Arqam Tariq
PI Affiliation
University of Delaware
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PI Name
Vikrant Kamble
PI Affiliation
University of Delaware
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Additional Trial Information

Status
In development
Start date
2025-03-01
End date
2026-08-31
Keywords
Crime, Violence, & Conflict, Governance
Additional Keywords
JEL code(s)
Secondary IDs
Prior work
This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.
Abstract
Empowering public through a feedback mechanism can enhance the quality of policing services. Currently, police officials prioritize political favors over efficient service delivery, often providing substandard services unless directed by politicians. This fosters a patronage system, where police officials secure political favors while politicians build political capital. To address this, we will randomly assign police stations into treatment and control groups. In treated police stations, complainants will provide feedback evaluating various aspects of police services. Public feedback results will influence bureaucrats' Annual Confidential Reports (ACRs), critical for promotions, and may lead to rewards such as certificates of appreciation or punitive measures based on performance. The study will assess the impact on key outcomes such as FIR filing rates, case resolution rates, and crime statistics, with the expectation that linking career advancement to public feedback will lead to improved policing outcomes.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Kamble, Vikrant, BILAL RAZA and Arqam Tariq. 2024. "Effect of Linking Career Prospects with Public Feedback on Police Performance." AEA RCT Registry. September 17. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.14358-1.0
Sponsors & Partners
Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
Intervention Start Date
2025-09-30
Intervention End Date
2026-06-30

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
The study will assess the impact of intervention on key policing outcomes such as IR filing rates, case resolution rates, and crime statistics, with the expectation that linking career advancement to public feedback will lead to improved policing outcomes.
Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
The experiment will randomly assign police stations in treatment and control groups. The treatment group will receive intervention and control group will function as before. At the end of experiment, we will compare the key outcomes of interest in treatment and control groups toe estimate the causal effect of intervention.
Experimental Design Details
Not available
Randomization Method
Randomization done in office by a computer.
Randomization Unit
Police Station
Was the treatment clustered?
No

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
700 police stations
Sample size: planned number of observations
700
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
250 schools control, 250 schools public feedback intervention linked with career prospects, 200 public feedback intervention not linked with career prospects
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
Supporting Documents and Materials
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
IRB Approval Date
IRB Approval Number
Analysis Plan