Just the Facts Ma'am: A Case Study of the Reversal of Corruption in the Los Angeles Police Department

Abstract

We present here a case study of successful institutional change in the 1950s Los Angeles Police Department in which Police Chief William H. Parker produced a stunning record of effective reforms. Parker used a combination of institutional reforms that economists can view as changes in incentives, but he also devoted substantial resources to changes in values. Finally, we apply this history to modern day development economics.Corruption, institutions, equilibrium selection, media, values