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Decentralization and electoral swings

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  • Ignacio Lago
  • André Blais

Abstract

We explore how the uniformity of electoral swings in the district vote within countries is affected by the level of economic and political decentralization. We rely on district-level data from OECD countries in two consecutive elections before and after the Great Recession to show that as regional governments exert more influence over the central government, districts deviate less from the overall pattern of change in support of the national incumbent party. The causal mechanism accounting for the effect of decentralization on dynamic nationalization is examined with individual panel data from national elections in Canada and Spain.

Suggested Citation

  • Ignacio Lago & André Blais, 2018. "Decentralization and electoral swings," Working Papers. Collection A: Public economics, governance and decentralization 1805, Universidade de Vigo, GEN - Governance and Economics research Network.
    • Handle: RePEc:gov:wpaper:1805
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    File URL: http://infogen.webs.uvigo.es/WP/WP1805.pdf
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Decentralization; dynamic nationalization; electoral swing; Great Recession.;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D72 - Microeconomics - - Analysis of Collective Decision-Making - - - Political Processes: Rent-seeking, Lobbying, Elections, Legislatures, and Voting Behavior
    • H77 - Public Economics - - State and Local Government; Intergovernmental Relations - - - Intergovernmental Relations; Federalism

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