HP/LDI Research Seminar: Bocar Bo, PhD, Assistant Professor of Economics, Duke University
12:00pm - 1:00pm • Colonial Penn Center Auditorium
2025-02-27 12:00:00 2025-02-27 13:00:00 America/New_York HP/LDI Research Seminar: Bocar Bo, PhD, Assistant Professor of Economics, Duke University Bocar Ba, PhD, Assistant Professor, Economics, Trinity College of Arts & Sciences, Duke University Topic: “Understanding Demand for Police Alternatives.” Abstract: 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. Bio: Dr. Bocar Ba is a labor economist and assistant professor at Duke University, who specialized in police accountability. His work takes a close look at where breakdowns happen in the criminal justice system, following cases from arrests to depositions. Using insight from labor economics literature, he seeks to understand police use of force, overall police officer behavior and what cities want from their local law enforcement. His research, funded by the Russell Sage Foundation and Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Pipeline Grant, has been featured in the Journal of Labor Economics, American Journal of Political Science, Journal of Urban Economics, and more. Dr. Ba earned his bachelor’s in economics and finance at the Université du Québec à Montréal and master’s in economics at the University of British Columbia. He completed his Ph.D. in public policy at the University of Chicago in 2018. Register to attend here: https://share.hsforms.com/1n7lAVdWqScCDhr6_tWxJQA5gwp1. Colonial Penn Center Auditorium Penn Medical EthicsBocar Ba, PhD, Assistant Professor, Economics, Trinity College of Arts & Sciences, Duke University
Topic: “Understanding Demand for Police Alternatives.”
Abstract: 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.
Bio: Dr. Bocar Ba is a labor economist and assistant professor at Duke University, who specialized in police accountability. His work takes a close look at where breakdowns happen in the criminal justice system, following cases from arrests to depositions. Using insight from labor economics literature, he seeks to understand police use of force, overall police officer behavior and what cities want from their local law enforcement. His research, funded by the Russell Sage Foundation and Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Pipeline Grant, has been featured in the Journal of Labor Economics, American Journal of Political Science, Journal of Urban Economics, and more.
Dr. Ba earned his bachelor’s in economics and finance at the Université du Québec à Montréal and master’s in economics at the University of British Columbia. He completed his Ph.D. in public policy at the University of Chicago in 2018.
Register to attend here: https://share.hsforms.com/1n7lAVdWqScCDhr6_tWxJQA5gwp1.