In this paper, I study the impact of establishing a centralized emergency response system (CERS) in a developing country on atrocities towards historically disadvantaged minorities. To answer this question, I exploit the staggered implementation of CERS between 2013 and 2018 in several states in India to estimate its impact on caste-based crimes. Results of a generalized difference-in-difference approach indicate the presence of a significant reporting effect, that is, an increase in reporting of crimes by minority groups – about 38.56% – in the treated states. Thus, the study contributes to the literature that seeks to shed light on factors that could lead to improvement in reporting of crimes among minority groups.
(Link to paper: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=4381030)