2 ms·
It creates incentives, but whether they're perverse is a matter of perspective. A perverse incentive is an incentive that has an unintended and undesirable res
by salmonellaeater 11y ago
It creates incentives, but whether they're perverse is a matter of perspective.
A perverse incentive is an incentive that has an unintended and undesirable result which is contrary to the interests of the incentive makers.[1]
It's common to believe that law enforcement makes mostly just decisions, even when deciding whom to accuse[2]. To voters with this view, the incentives are exactly aligned with their interests.
[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perverse_incentive http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perverse_incentive
[2] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Right-wing_authoritarianism http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Right-wing_authoritarianism
- jMyles 11y agoI don't disagree with your definitions here. However, for the purpose of understanding the 'interests' of the incentive makers, it's notable that we're talking about executive action, pursuant (however shakily) to law passed by congress, pertaining to the specific act of seizure ("forfeiture") of property. The 'interest' (or, more charitably, the 'intention') is to combat crime. Thus, if law enforcement has an incentive to do something other than combat crime, which again, I don't think anyone disagrees they do under such a framework, then the incentive is indeed perverse. The only way that this incentive is consonant is if the original intention was to enrich law enforcement agencies, which nobody claims was the impetus for these policies.