Institutions & Political Economy
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VoxDev turns 1! Note from the Editor-in-Chief
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Selecting political candidates in Sierra Leone
Who should select political candidates, the people or the party?
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How should political parties choose candidates?
An experiment in Sierra Leone varied how much say voters, compared to party officials, had in selecting candidates for Parliamentary elections, and sheds light on which systems of leadership selection are most effective
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How effective are monetary incentives to vote?
A larger fine for electoral abstention increases voter turnout but does not affect election outcomes in settings with compulsory voting
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Grassroots party activism by women promotes equal political participation
In Indian local politics, women politicians empower women party activists for their campaigns, which reduces gender gaps in political knowledge and political participation
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Trade liberalisation can weaken unions and reduce votes for the left
Intuitively, trade liberalisation should increase the appeal of left-wing parties that offer to protect workers with protectionist policies. Evidence from Brazil shows how liberalisation actually reduced votes for the left by undermining labour unions, the traditional support base of many left-wing parties.
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The role of female political representation in fighting violence against women
Greater female participation in political leadership roles is associated with a decline in violence against women in Brazil
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Paving the road to re-election
Evidence from road construction in India shows that there are clear political gains from investing in large scale public infrastructure projects. The price of a vote however is substantial and may be overshadowed by more cost-effective short-term vote buying policies.
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Reducing the size of administrative units improved local governments in India
The creation of smaller local government polities resulted in greater public good access across multiple dimensions – village-level infrastructure, individually-targeted benefit programmes, and workfare programmes – over both the short and long run.