Political Economy At Any Speed: What Determines Traffic Citations?

摘要

Can speeding tickets be explained solely by a driver's excessive speed, or could they be seen as serving as supplemental local revenue, or reflecting officer preferences? Theory suggests that the levels of enforcement and punishment for traffic violations are based on the degree of infringement by the offending party and the marginal returns to local safety (Gary S. Becker 1968; Isaac Ehrlich 1996; A. Mitchell Polinsky and Steven Shavell 1992). This view neglects other potential objectives for the police. Police officers are agents of the local or state government; these principals may be concerned about total revenues raised and about voter satisfaction. Furthermore, officers may have personal preferences, with regards to characteristics such as race or gender, which may motivate differential issuance of traffic tickets.