American Economic Journal:
Economic Policy
ISSN 1945-7731 (Print) | ISSN 1945-774X (Online)
Collective Bargaining Rights, Policing, and Civilian Deaths
American Economic Journal: Economic Policy
(pp. 197–234)
Abstract
Using an event-study design, we examine whether states' introduction of duty-to-bargain requirements for police unions led to meaningful changes in civilians killed by law enforcement. We find that the introduction of collective bargaining rights significantly increases the number of civilians killed by police, particularly among non-White civilians, while having limited effects on officer safety. Our results indicate that the adoption of bargaining rights for law enforcement can explain 14 percent of all non-White civilian deaths by legal intervention between 1959 and 1988. Given our findings, the idea that police unions exacerbate violence is empirically grounded.Citation
Cunningham, Jamein P., and Rob Gillezeau. 2026. "Collective Bargaining Rights, Policing, and Civilian Deaths." American Economic Journal: Economic Policy 18 (3): 197–234. DOI: 10.1257/pol.20230384Additional Materials
JEL Classification
- J15 Economics of Minorities, Races, Indigenous Peoples, and Immigrants; Non-labor Discrimination
- J51 Trade Unions: Objectives, Structure, and Effects
- J52 Dispute Resolution: Strikes, Arbitration, and Mediation; Collective Bargaining
- K42 Illegal Behavior and the Enforcement of Law