1. From broken windows to broken bonds: Militarized police and social fragmentation
- Author
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Michael Insler, Alexander F. McQuoid, and Bryce McMurrey
- Subjects
Organizational Behavior and Human Resource Management ,Economics and Econometrics ,business.industry ,Bond ,05 social sciences ,Instrumental variable ,Law enforcement ,Human factors and ergonomics ,Poison control ,Public relations ,Suicide prevention ,0506 political science ,Political science ,Political economy ,0502 economics and business ,050602 political science & public administration ,Civic engagement ,050207 economics ,business ,Militarization - Abstract
Expansion of police militarization in the U.S. raises questions about how such policing affects society and minority communities. We estimate the impact of one particular aspect of police militarization—the Department of Defense’s Excess Property Program 1033—on civic engagement—which we capture primarily by examining charitable giving among households—via an instrumental variables approach. The instrument stems from plausibly exogenous variation in federal defense spending, which affects awareness of military culture and capabilities, and thus encourages the adoption of military equipment and tactics by local police departments. Estimates show that the 1033 Program has a fragmenting effect on society: As the transfer of surplus military equipment to local law enforcement increases, black households reduce their total charitable donations more than all other households.
- Published
- 2019
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