Colmer, Jonathan Mark, Evans, Mary F. and Shimshack, Jay (2023) Environmental citizen complaints. CEP Discussion Papers (CEPDP1903). London School of Economics and Political Science. Centre for Economic Performance, London, UK.
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Abstract
Citizen complaints feature prominently in public oversight contexts. The nature and effects of complaints, however, are controversial and poorly understood. We first investigate attitudes about citizen complaints using a nationally representative survey. We document that the public believes complaints promote open, efficient, and equitable governance. We then exploit novel administrative data on over 130,000 complaints in Texas to investigate their observed dynamic effects on regulator behavior. Empirically, complaints are associated with sharp increases in regulator monitoring and enforcement. Complaints uncover more, and more severe violations, than more standard monitoring approaches. Overall, our findings are consistent with complaints enhancing regulatory efficiency.
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