Mehmood, Sultan, Seror, Avner and Chen, Daniel L. (2023) Ramadan Fasting Increases Judicial Leniency in Judges from Pakistan and India. TSE Working Paper, n. 22-1393, Toulouse

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Abstract

We estimate the impact of the Ramadan fasting ritual on criminal sentencing decisions for Pakistan and India from half a century of daily data. We use random case assignment and exogenous variation in fasting intensity within Ramadan due to the rotating Islamic calendar and the geographical latitude of the district courts to document large effects of Ramadan fasting on decision-making. Our sample comprises roughly a half million judicial cases and 10,000 judges from Pakistan and India. Ritual intensity increases acquittal rates of Muslim judges, lowers their appeals and reversal rates, and does not come at the cost of increased recidivism or heightened outgroup bias. Overall, our results highlight that the Ramadan fasting ritual followed by a billion Muslims worldwide induces more lenient decisions that appear to be of higher quality.

Item Type: Monograph (Working Paper)
Language: English
Date: March 2023
Place of Publication: Toulouse
Uncontrolled Keywords: religious rituals, Ramadan, decision-making
JEL Classification: N35 - Asia including Middle East
O1 - Economic Development
Z12 - Religion
Subjects: B- ECONOMIE ET FINANCE
Divisions: TSE-R (Toulouse)
Institution: Université Toulouse 1 Capitole
Site: UT1
Date Deposited: 15 Dec 2022 08:20
Last Modified: 01 Jun 2023 07:42
OAI Identifier: oai:tse-fr.eu:127597
URI: https://publications.ut-capitole.fr/id/eprint/46520
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