Do less-violent technologies result in less violence? A theoretical investigation applied to the use of tasers by law enforcement

Bryan McCannon

No 2009-36, Economics Discussion Papers from Kiel Institute for the World Economy

Abstract: The use of a taser by law enforcement can substitute for either a gun (a more-violent technology) or a mildly-violent technology (such as pepper spray or hands-on tactics). Which is used affects both the severity of harm when used and the amount of resistance, which affects how often it must be used. Thus, does the adoption of a less-violent technology lead to more or less violence? This question is addressed in an application to the adoption of tasers by law enforcement officials. A game-theoretic model is developed and environments where resistance to arrest and expected harm both increase and decrease are identified.

Keywords: Law enforcement; less-violent technology; strategic offsetting behavior (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: K42 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2009
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-law
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:zbw:ifwedp:200936

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