Community Policing and Human Capital Development: Evidence from El Salvador

• In Event: Inside the Black Box: Police, Politics, and Communities

Abstract

We study the impact of a staggered rollout of a community policing initiative in El Salvador on human capital outcomes amidst an unprecedented wave of gang violence. Intervened areas and schools saw a decrease in inter-annual dropout and an increase in exam scores. We discuss potential mechanisms, as well as the parallel and counterbalancing impact of police violence.

Authors

• Carlos Schmidt-Padilla, University of California, Berkeley

• Maria Micaela Sviatschi