Abstract
Can procedural reforms improve judicial efficiency? And do improvements in judicial efficiency benefit firms? We combine the staggered roll-out of a reform that required judges in Senegal to complete pre-trials within four months with high-frequency caseload data and firm tax filings. The reform improved judicial efficiency, with no effect on quality. Firm monthly revenues drop by 8-11 percent upon entering pre-trial, and decline by on average 3.2-5.0 percent for every 100 days a case spends in pre-trial. Survey results show firms are willing to pay higher legal fees to achieve post-reform speed, suggesting positive benefits of the reform on firms.
This content is only available as a PDF.
© 2021 the President and Fellows of Harvard College and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and The World Bank
2021
The President and Fellows of Harvard College and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and The World Bank
You do not currently have access to this content.