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Political Economy at Any Speed: What Determines Traffic Citations?

Author

Listed:
  • Michael D. Makowsky
  • Thomas Stratmann

Abstract

Speeding tickets are determined not only by the speed of the offender, but also by incentives faced by police officers and their vote-maximizing principals. We hypothesize that police officers issue fines more frequently when drivers have a higher opportunity cost of contesting a ticket, and when drivers are not residents of the local municipality. We also predict that local officers are more likely to issue a ticket to out-of-town drivers when fiscal conditions are tight and legal limits prevent increases in property taxes. Using data from traffic stops in Massachusetts, we find support for our hypotheses. (JEL H76, R41)

Suggested Citation

  • Michael D. Makowsky & Thomas Stratmann, 2009. "Political Economy at Any Speed: What Determines Traffic Citations?," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 99(1), pages 509-527, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:aea:aecrev:v:99:y:2009:i:1:p:509-27
    Note: DOI: 10.1257/aer.99.1.509
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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • H76 - Public Economics - - State and Local Government; Intergovernmental Relations - - - Other Expenditure Categories
    • R41 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - Transportation Economics - - - Transportation: Demand, Supply, and Congestion; Travel Time; Safety and Accidents; Transportation Noise

    Lists

    This item is featured on the following reading lists, Wikipedia, or ReplicationWiki pages:
    1. Political Economy at Any Speed: What Determines Traffic Citations? (AER 2009) in ReplicationWiki
    2. Economic Logic blog

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