Police Production Functions

Abstract

In the previous chapter we examined the economic theory of production functions, the main econometric problems surrounding their estimation, the choice of functional form and the question of output measurement. In this chapter we examine a number of empirical studies of the police production function. The number of estimates of police ‘production functions’ is actually quite large. (The use of inverted commas here is to signify our doubts as to whether the estimated functions have in all cases been production functions in the sense of the previous chapter.) Of necessity, therefore, this chapter must be selective.¹ Even so we consider a fairly large number of specific studies. Most of these have been carried out for the United States. Before we examine each study we will make a few general observations, drawing in particular upon the theoretical work which we developed in the last chapter.