Felipe Goncalves

University of California, Los Angeles Website

Felipe Goncalves is Assistant Professor of Economics at the University of California, Los Angeles. He holds a Ph.D. in Economics from Princeton University.

Voting History

Policing and public safety

Increasing police budgets will improve public safety.

Vote Confidence
Agree 8
Median Survey Vote Median Survey Confidence
Agree 7
Comments

I would more strongly agree with the statement "hiring more police officers will improve public safety." It's not clear that increasing other expenditures by police departments, such as on equipment and technology, would meaningfully advance public safety.

Increasing social service budgets (e.g. housing, health, education) will improve public safety.

Vote Confidence
Agree 8
Median Survey Vote Median Survey Confidence
Agree 8
Comments

Some expenditures, such as mental health services and longer school days, would likely have immediate public safety benefits. Other interventions, such as improved housing and early-childhood education, have benefits over longer time horizons. So improved social services are important but not necessarily direct substitutes for public safety spending.

Increasing accountability for police misconduct will improve public safety.

Vote Confidence
Neutral/No Opinion 5
Median Survey Vote Median Survey Confidence
Agree 6
Comments

Police accountability is valuable in itself, separate from its impact on public safety. There is limited empirical evidence that accountability improves public safety, including police force. Importantly, there is also little evidence that improved accountability *worsens* public safety by constraining police.

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