Corruption and the Voter's Decision
Experimental Evidence from Brazil

By (author) Miguel F. P. de Figueiredo

ISBN13: 9781009499743

Imprint: Cambridge University Press

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Format: Hardback

Published: 31/01/2025

Availability: POD

Description
Despite voters' distaste for corruption, corrupt politicians frequently get reelected. This Element provides a framework for understanding when corrupt politicians are reelected. One unexplored source of electoral accountability is court rulings on candidate malfeasance, which are increasingly determining politicians' electoral prospects. The findings suggest that (1) low-income voters – in contrast to higher-income voters – are responsive to such rulings. Unlike earlier studies, we explore multiple trade-offs voters weigh when confronting corrupt candidates, including the candidate's party, policy positions, and personal attributes. The results also surprisingly show (2) low-income voters, like higher-income voters, weigh corruption allegations and policy positions similarly, and are slightly more responsive to candidate attributes. Moreover, irrespective of voter income, (3) party labels insulate candidates from corruption, and (4) candidate attributes like gender have little effect. The results have implications for when voters punish corrupt politicians, the success of anti-corruption campaigns, and the design and legitimacy of electoral institutions.
1. Introduction; 2. Electoral accountability and public opinion; 3. A Framework for analyzing candidate corruption and voting behavior; 4. Corruption and the voter's decision: evidence from a conjoint experiment; 5. Conclusion; References.
  • Political corruption
  • Public finance
  • Election law
  • General (US: Trade)
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List Price: £49.99