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Young versus old politicians and public spending priorities

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Listed:
  • Baskaran, Thushyanthan
  • Hessami, Zohal
  • Schirner, Sebastian

Abstract

Do young politicians prioritize other types of municipal spending than old politicians? We study this question using hand-collected candidate-level data on municipal elections (1996–2020), along with detailed administrative data on municipal spending in Bavaria. Our identification strategy makes use of within-party candidate-level races for marginal seats. Our findings indicate that municipalities with a higher proportion of young councilors allocate more resources to social spending. Further analysis reveals that this social spending increase is primarily driven by the expansion of public child care. Exploring mechanisms, we find evidence suggesting that young councilors affect policy choices indirectly through between- and within-party bargaining.

Suggested Citation

  • Baskaran, Thushyanthan & Hessami, Zohal & Schirner, Sebastian, 2024. "Young versus old politicians and public spending priorities," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 225(C), pages 88-106.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jeborg:v:225:y:2024:i:c:p:88-106
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jebo.2024.07.002
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Young and old politicians; Political selection; Municipal spending; Local councils;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D72 - Microeconomics - - Analysis of Collective Decision-Making - - - Political Processes: Rent-seeking, Lobbying, Elections, Legislatures, and Voting Behavior
    • D78 - Microeconomics - - Analysis of Collective Decision-Making - - - Positive Analysis of Policy Formulation and Implementation
    • 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
    • J13 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Fertility; Family Planning; Child Care; Children; Youth
    • J14 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Economics of the Elderly; Economics of the Handicapped; Non-Labor Market Discrimination

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