The Challenge of Coordinating India’s Multiple Border Forces: An Analysis of Cross-Border Infiltration Across the India-Pakistan Boundary

India’s international borders and disputed boundaries with its neighbours are guarded by five different Central Armed Police Forces, two Paramilitary Forces and the Indian Army.

This Commentary employs a formal Demand and Supply economic model to understand how cross-border infiltration along the India-Pakistan boundary is impacted by coordination between the multiple border forces. The model shows that in the absence of coordination between the forces, defensive measures to deter infiltration will be over supplied and offensive measures will be under supplied. A surprising result of the analysis is that information sharing between the forces worsens these inefficiencies. This is a case of the Second Best result in economic theory.