Law enforcement in a federal system: Endogenous timing of decentralized enforcement effort

摘要

This paper explores how inter-jurisdictional competition in the fight against crime unfolds. Local law enforcement reduces the local level of crime, partly by diverting it elsewhere. We highlight that the commonly considered game structure (i.e., the simultaneous-move game) usually does not arise endogenously, that is, when local law enforcement agencies can choose when to exert effort. This has important implications (e.g., for the equilibrium enforcement levels). (C) 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.