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Recall Elections: A Tool of Accountability? Evidence from Peru

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  • Michael Haman

Abstract

I examine the role of recall elections in Peruvian municipalities to evaluate whether they are used as a tool to increase political accountability. I test the theoretical assumptions of elite mobilization theory and other theories related to the functions of political parties and invalid votes. I use logistic regression to analyze a dataset with recall elections until 2013. The results show that recall elections were held most frequently in municipalities with high local elec¬torate party membership when the percentage of blank votes was low, and the margin of victory was low in previous municipal elections. The key vari¬ables for the successful removal of a mayor include the political experience of the organizer of a recall procedure, the number of null votes, and votes for the winner in previous municipal elections. Future research should build on these findings and further examine recall elections.

Suggested Citation

  • Michael Haman, 2021. "Recall Elections: A Tool of Accountability? Evidence from Peru," Revista Desarrollo y Sociedad, Universidad de los Andes,Facultad de Economía, CEDE, vol. 87(3), March.
    • Handle: RePEc:col:000090:018916
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    File URL: https://revistas.uniandes.edu.co/doi/pdf/10.13043/DYS.87.3
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    accountability; democracy; elections; political parties; Peru .;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D72 - Microeconomics - - Analysis of Collective Decision-Making - - - Political Processes: Rent-seeking, Lobbying, Elections, Legislatures, and Voting Behavior
    • H70 - Public Economics - - State and Local Government; Intergovernmental Relations - - - General
    • H72 - Public Economics - - State and Local Government; Intergovernmental Relations - - - State and Local Budget and Expenditures

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