LAUSR

Police departments are struggling to recruit officers and voluntary drop-off of candidates exacerbates the challenge. Using four years of administrative data and a field experiment in the LAPD, we analyze the impact of administrative burden on the likelihood that a candidate will remain in the recruitment process. We find that reducing friction costs to participation and simplifying processes improves compliance, as behavioral science would predict. Applicants who were offered simpler, standardized processes completed more tests and were more likely to be hired. Later reductions to perceived burden led to an 8% increase in compliance at one stage, with a 60% increase in compliance within two weeks. However, removing steps that would have allowed for better understanding of eligibility kept unqualified candidates in the process for longer, thereby reducing organizational efficiency. These results extend the field’s understanding of how administrative burden can impact the selection of talent into government.