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Why do parties use primaries?: Political selection versus candidate incentives

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  • Fernando Aragón

Abstract

This paper contrasts empirically two possible explanations for the party decision to use primaries: desire to improve political selection (selection effect), or desire to increase political competition—and incentives—among candidates (incentive effect). Using a simple model of endogenous primaries, I show that each explanation implies a different relation between primary adoption and the strength of partisan support. I estimate this relation using the case of Latin American presidential primaries and find robust evidence that the incentive effect dominates the selection effect. Copyright Springer Science+Business Media New York 2014

Suggested Citation

  • Fernando Aragón, 2014. "Why do parties use primaries?: Political selection versus candidate incentives," Public Choice, Springer, vol. 160(1), pages 205-225, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:pubcho:v:160:y:2014:i:1:p:205-225
    DOI: 10.1007/s11127-013-0076-8
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Moskalenko, Anna, 2017. "How public perception towards party (dis)unity a ects the introduction of primaries," Working Papers 2072/306516, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Department of Economics.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Political parties; Primaries; Candidate nomination procedures; D72; H39;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D72 - Microeconomics - - Analysis of Collective Decision-Making - - - Political Processes: Rent-seeking, Lobbying, Elections, Legislatures, and Voting Behavior
    • H39 - Public Economics - - Fiscal Policies and Behavior of Economic Agents - - - Other

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