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Are elections in autocracies a curse for incumbents? Evidence from Chinese villages

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  • Li Han

Abstract

Are elections in autocracies a curse for incumbents? Using panel data from village elections in China, the OLS regression shows that introducing competitive elections has a relatively small effect on the removal of autocratic incumbents. However, the effect becomes much larger when the endogenous timing is instrumented with the passage of provincial election laws and village-specific election cycles. Additional evidence also suggests that removing incumbents through competitive elections enhances local governance. I interpret these results as suggesting that political selection matters in electoral autocracies. Copyright Springer Science+Business Media, LLC 2014

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  • Li Han, 2014. "Are elections in autocracies a curse for incumbents? Evidence from Chinese villages," Public Choice, Springer, vol. 158(1), pages 221-242, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:pubcho:v:158:y:2014:i:1:p:221-242
    DOI: 10.1007/s11127-012-0004-3
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    Cited by:

    1. Yi Liu & Wei Yang, 2019. "Leadership and Governance Tools for Village Sustainable Development in China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(20), pages 1-17, October.
    2. Yang Zhou, 2022. "Economic institutions and horizontal checks and balances in the Chinese bureaucratic system: evidence at the prefecture-city level," Economics of Governance, Springer, vol. 23(2), pages 133-160, June.

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