Title
Does corruption information inspire the fight or quash the hope? A field experiment in Mexico on voter turnout, choice, and party identification
Date Issued
01 January 2015
Access level
metadata only access
Resource Type
journal article
Author(s)
De La O A.L.
Karlan D.
Wantchekon L.
Ottawa University
Publisher(s)
Cambridge University Press
Abstract
Retrospective voting models assume that offering more information to voters about their incumbents' performance strengthens electoral accountability. However, it is unclear whether incumbent corruption information translates into higher political participation and increased support for challengers. We provide experimental evidence that such information not only decreases incumbent party support in local elections in Mexico, but also decreases voter turnout and support for the challenger party, as well as erodes partisan attachments. While information clearly is necessary to improve accountability, corruption information is not sufficient because voters may respond to it by withdrawing from the political process. We conclude with a discussion of the implications of our findings for studies of voting behavior.
Start page
55
End page
71
Volume
77
Issue
1
Language
English
OCDE Knowledge area
Teoría organizacional Ciencia política
Scopus EID
2-s2.0-84973641574
Source
Journal of Politics
ISSN of the container
00223816
Sources of information: Directorio de Producción Científica Scopus