Harris Public Policy PhD Candidate Miguel Morales-Mosquera was recognized by the National Science Foundation with the Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement Award, which he received for his work "The Economic Value of Crime Control: Evidence of a Large Investment in Police Infrastructure."

The project has personal significance for Morales-Mosquera, who shares that he grew up in Cali, Colombia during a time characterized by "extremely high levels of violence" that "deeply influenced [him] and sparked [his] interest in understanding the causes and consequences of crime."

His work studies the effects of local government investment in the police through a dual framework of crime and housing, an approach that "provides a deeper understanding of the adequate and efficient use of police resources," said Morales-Mosquera, noting that traditional crime intervention evaluations neglect to consider the broad social benefits or costs of the programs they study. Through his paper's wider focus, he finds statistically significant evidence that police station openings increase housing values.

Full coverage of Morales-Mosquera's research and award is available at the National Science Foundation. Harris Public Policy Professors Christopher Blattman and Michael Greenstone advised the work, as did Booth School of Business Professor Chris Hansen.