Exposure to Law Enforcement and Deterrence

This paper explores how direct and indirect exposure to law enforcement activities shape deterrent effects. Focusing on experimental and quasi-experimental research from economics (mainly from domains such as tax evasion, traffic violations, and financial crimes), I first summarize evidence showing how personal experiences shape perceptions about enforcement risks and sanctions, and deter future offenses. The paper then turns to the role of vicarious experiences. I discuss the growing body of evidence documenting enforcement spillovers, i.e., cases where individuals learn and adapt based on observations or experiences shared by peers, co-workers, or neighbors. The paper also highlights the importance of better understanding the underlying learning processes for deriving policy implications.