Institutional Recognition: Activating Representation to Build Police Responsiveness to Women

How can public agencies become more responsive to marginalized citizens? We develop a theory of bureaucratic responsiveness as the product of resources, representation, and recognition. While material investments and inclusion of marginalized personnel are insufficient in passive forms, they can be jointly activated through institutional recognition: organizational dynamics that enhance a social group’s visibility and ascribe value to efforts to meet their needs. We illustrate this in the domains of policing and gender, examining station-level Women’s Help Desks in India. Combining a large-scale experiment and sustained qualitative research, we reveal how the desks—when staffed by female officers—increased police responsiveness to women’s cases. This occurred as female personnel actively used help desk resources to build professional standing while supporting women. These gains, however, were constrained by patriarchal norms that limit reporting and prosecution of gender-based violence. Our findings illuminate possibilities and challenges of institutional change in unequal settings.