Research Seminar with Bocar Ba, PhD

In a series of experiments, we present evidence of bipartisan public demand for police alternatives, contrasted with persistent policy resistance from key stakeholders. First, our survey experiment demonstrates that introducing U.S. respondents to dontcallthepolice.com (DCTP),
a database of non-governmental emergency response options, significantly reduces reliance on police for nonviolent situations. However, this effect does not extend to violent scenarios where no police substitutes exist. Second, our follow-up survey reveals enduring impacts, including heightened recall of the 988 hotline as an alternative during suicidal crises. Third, our field experiment and qualitative interviews find police resistance to embracing DCTP, despite widespread public support for nonviolent police substitutes.

Co-hosted with the Department of Medical Ethics & Health Policy.

Please note: Registration for this event is required. In-person attendance is strongly encouraged, although virtual access will be provided for all registrants.

Speaker

Bocar Ba, PhD

Assistant Professor, Economics, Trinity College of Arts & Sciences, Duke University

Bocar A. Ba, PhD is an Assistant Professor of Economics at Duke University and a Fellow at the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER). His research, rooted in labor economics and political economy, focuses on police behavior, use of force, and the evolving role of law enforcement in cities, with a recent emphasis on reducing the scope of traditional policing. In collaboration with the Invisible Institute, he co-developed the Civic Police Data Project (CPDP ), a platform that collects data on Chicago police officers, including misconduct, use of force, and awards. He also serves as an advisor to several other platforms tracking police performance and behavior, such as policescorecards.org, Police Data , Mapping Police Violence , and Resources by city – Don’t Call The Police , which provides vetted alternatives to policing across the U.S. and Canada. His work has been published or accepted in top journals, includingthe American Journal of Political Science, Science, Journal of Labor Economics, Quarterly Journal of Economics, Review of Economics and Statistics, Journal of Urban Economics, Journal of Economic Perspectives, and the American Economic Journal: Economic Policy. Ba holds a BSc in Economics from the Université du Québec à Montréal, an MA from the University of British Columbia, and an MPP/PhD from the University of Chicago.