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Debates: Voting and Expenditure Responses to Political Communication

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Listed:
  • Kelly Bidwell
  • Katherine Casey
  • Rachel Glennerster

Abstract

Candidate debates have a rich history and remain integral to contemporary campaign strategy. There is, however, little evidence that they affect the behavior of voters or politicians. The scarcity of political information in the developing world offers an attractive testing ground. Using experimental variation in Sierra Leone, we find that public debate screenings build political knowledge that changes the way people vote, which induces a campaign expenditure response by candidates and fosters accountability pressure over the spending of elected officials. Results show how political communication can trigger a chain of events that begins with voters and ultimately influences policy.

Suggested Citation

  • Kelly Bidwell & Katherine Casey & Rachel Glennerster, 2020. "Debates: Voting and Expenditure Responses to Political Communication," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 128(8), pages 2880-2924.
    • Handle: RePEc:ucp:jpolec:doi:10.1086/706862
    DOI: 10.1086/706862
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    Cited by:

    1. Monica Martinez-Bravo & Leonard Wantchekon, 2021. "Political Economy and Structural Transformation: Democracy, Regulation and Public Investment," Working Papers wp2021_2110, CEMFI.
    2. Hout, Wil & Wagner, Natascha & Demena, Binyam A., 2022. "Does accountability enhance service delivery? Assessment of a local scorecard initiative in Uganda," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 158(C).
    3. Beg, Sabrin, 2021. "Tenancy and clientelism," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 186(C), pages 201-226.
    4. Henn, Soeren & Larreguy, Horacio & Marshall, John, 2020. "You get what you pay for: When do Certification Programs improve Public Service Delivery?," TSE Working Papers 20-1154, Toulouse School of Economics (TSE).
    5. Jeremy Bowles & Benjamin Marx, 2022. "Turnover and Accountability in Africa's Parliaments," SciencePo Working papers Main hal-03873800, HAL.
    6. Francisco Rodríguez & Eduardo Zambrano, 2022. "Monotone comparative statics in the Calvert–Wittman model," Economic Theory Bulletin, Springer;Society for the Advancement of Economic Theory (SAET), vol. 10(1), pages 105-116, May.
    7. Pascaline Dupas & Seema Jayachandran & Adriana Lleras-Muney & Pauline Rossi, 2024. "Negligible Effect of Free Contraception on Fertility: Experimental Evidence from Burkina Faso," Working Papers 327, Princeton University, Department of Economics, Center for Economic Policy Studies..

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