Monitoring Judges: The Impact of Randomly Assigned Observers in Immigration Courts

Abstract

This session brings together recent papers that apply tools from organizational economics and modern micro econometrics to understand how judicial institutions can be designed to improve performance, accountability, and decision making. The papers exploit rich administrative data and quasi experimental variation—from court reorganization reforms and randomized monitoring to long run career incentives and team composition—to study how institutional structure, oversight, and personnel policies shape judicial behavior and outcomes. Together, they provide evidence on how changes in court organization, incentives, and diversity affect efficiency, quality, and fairness in civil, criminal, and immigration courts, offering policy relevant insights for improving the functioning of the judiciary.