Testing Enforcement Strategies in the Field: Legal Threat, Moral Appeal and Social Information

Gerlinde Fellner-Röhling (), Rupert Sausgruber and Christian Traxler

No 2009-23, NRN working papers from The Austrian Center for Labor Economics and the Analysis of the Welfare State, Johannes Kepler University Linz, Austria

Abstract: We run a large-scale natural field experiment to evaluate alternative strategies to en- force compliance with the law. The experiment varies the text of mailings sent to potential evaders of TV license fees. We find a strong alert effect of mailings, leading to a substantial increase in compliance. Among different mailing conditions a legal threat that stresses a high detection risk has a significant and highly robust deterrent effect. Neither appealing to morals nor imparting information about others' behavior enhances compliance. However, the information condition has a positive effect in municipalities where evasion is believed to be common. Overall, the economic model of crime performs remarkably well in explaining our data.

Keywords: Field experiments; law enforcement; compliance; deterrence (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: C93 K42 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 45 pages
Date: 2009-10
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-cbe, nep-exp and nep-law
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (11)

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Related works:
Working Paper: Testing Enforcement Strategies in the Field: Legal Threat, Moral Appeal and Social Information (2009)
Working Paper: Testing Enforcement Strategies in the Field: Legal Threat, Moral Appeal and Social Information (2009)
Working Paper: Testing Enforcement Strategies in the Field: Legal Threat, Moral Appeal and Social Information (2009)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:jku:nrnwps:2009_23

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