CSI in the tropics. Experimental evidence of improved public service delivery through coordination

Daniela Collazos (), Leopoldo Fergusson, Miguel La Rota (), Daniel Mejía () and Daniel Ortega ()
Additional contact information
Daniela Collazos: Universidad de los Andes, Facultad de Economía
Miguel La Rota: Crime and Justice Lab
Daniel Mejía: Universidad de los Andes, Facultad de Economía
Daniel Ortega: Latin America Development Bank - CAF, and IESA business school

No 342, HiCN Working Papers from Households in Conflict Network

Abstract: This paper evaluates the impacts of increased coordination, accountability, and leadership among teams of responsible public officials, with evidence from homicide investigations in Colombia. We randomly assigned the investigations of 66% of the 1,683 homicides occurring in Bogota, Colombia, during 2016 to a new investigation procedure emphasizing these features. We find a statistically significant 30% increase in the conviction rate in the treatment group relative to the control group. Indicators of the quality of the investigative process also improve, as well as the rate at which a formal accusation is presented before a court. Complementary findings suggest that the treatment produces well-coordinated teams that can communicate more fluently. Also, a survey of investigative team members reveal that work motivation, the extent to which they receive feedback on their performance, the pertinence and effectiveness of their roles, and the perceived quality and coordination of the team all improve under the new scheme.

Keywords: Crime; Homicides; Team work; Public sector (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: C93 D73 J45 K14 K42 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 63 pages
Date: 2021-11
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-dem, nep-exp and nep-law
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https://hicn.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/HiCN-WP-342.pdf First version, 2021 (application/pdf)

Related works:
Working Paper: CSI in the tropics Experimental evidence of improved public service delivery through coordination (2020)
Working Paper: CSI in the tropics: Experimental evidence of improved public service delivery through coordination (2020)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:hic:wpaper:342

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