Promises, Promises : Vote-Buying and the Electoral Mobilization Strategies of Non-Credible Politicians

Vote-buying is pervasive, but not everywhere. What explains significant variations across countries in the greater use of pre-electoral transfers to mobilize voters relative to the use of pre-electoral promises of post-electoral transfers? This pap...

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Main Authors: Hanusch, Marek, Keefer, Philip
Format: Policy Research Working Paper
Language:English
en_US
Published: World Bank, Washington, DC 2014
Subjects:
Online Access:http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2013/10/18400395/promises-promises-vote-buying-electoral-mobilization-strategies-non-credible-politicians
http://hdl.handle.net/10986/16868
id okr-10986-16868
recordtype oai_dc
spelling okr-10986-168682021-04-23T14:03:32Z Promises, Promises : Vote-Buying and the Electoral Mobilization Strategies of Non-Credible Politicians Hanusch, Marek Keefer, Philip VOTE BUYING CLIENT ELECTION ADMISNITRATION CREDIBLE COMMITTMENT POLICITAL ECONOMY OF DEVELOPMENT BENEFITS BUDGET CONSTRAINT GOVERNMENT SPENDING BUDGET CYCLE GOVERNMENT FINANCING BUSINESS CYCLE GENERAL GOVERNMENT FINAL CONSUMPTION EXPENDITURE CAMPAIGN EXPENDITURES COLLECTIVE ACTION VOTERS CONSUMPTION EXPENDITURES NATIONAL INCOME DEMOCRATIC ACCOUNTABILITY DEMOCRATIC POLITIES ECONOMIC GROWTH ELECTION ELECTION FRAUD ELECTORAL PROCESS EXPENDITURE CONSUMPTION EXPENDITURE EXPENDITURES FINAL CONSUMPTION EXPENDITURE FISCAL TRANSPARENCY GENERAL GOVERNMENT FINAL CONSUMPTION EXPENDITURE GOVERNMENT FINANCING GOVERNMENT POLICIES GOVERNMENT POLICY GOVERNMENT PROGRAMS GOVERNMENT RESOURCES GOVERNMENT SPENDING GOVERNMENT SYSTEMS MODERN ECONOMIC GROWTH NATIONAL BUDGET NATIONAL INCOME NEW DEMOCRACIES PARTY LEADERS POLITICAL BUSINESS CYCLE PRESIDENTIAL RACE POLITICAL INCENTIVES POLITICAL PARTIES POLITICAL SCIENCE PRESIDENTIAL RACE PUBLIC GOOD SOCIAL WELFARE TAX REVENUES TRANSFER PROGRAMS VOTER BEHAVIOR VOTING VOTING BEHAVIOR VOTING BLOCS WELFARE BENEFITS WELFARE CONSEQUENCES WELFARE LOSS TRANSFER PROGRAMS WELFARE SERVICES Vote-buying is pervasive, but not everywhere. What explains significant variations across countries in the greater use of pre-electoral transfers to mobilize voters relative to the use of pre-electoral promises of post-electoral transfers? This paper explicitly models the trade-offs that politicians incur when they decide between mobilizing support with vote-buying or promises of post-electoral benefits. Politicians rely more on vote-buying when they are less credible, target vote-buying to those who do not believe their political promises, and only buy votes from those who would have received post-electoral transfers in a world of full political credibility. The enforcement of a prohibition on vote-buying reduces the welfare of those targeted with vote-buying, but improves the welfare of all other groups in society. 2014-02-04T17:53:18Z 2014-02-04T17:53:18Z 2013-10 http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2013/10/18400395/promises-promises-vote-buying-electoral-mobilization-strategies-non-credible-politicians http://hdl.handle.net/10986/16868 English en_US Policy Research Working Paper;No. 6653 CC BY 3.0 IGO http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/igo/ World Bank World Bank, Washington, DC Publications & Research :: Policy Research Working Paper Publications & Research
repository_type Digital Repository
institution_category Foreign Institution
institution Digital Repositories
building World Bank Open Knowledge Repository
collection World Bank
language English
en_US
topic VOTE BUYING
CLIENT
ELECTION ADMISNITRATION
CREDIBLE COMMITTMENT
POLICITAL ECONOMY OF DEVELOPMENT BENEFITS
BUDGET CONSTRAINT
GOVERNMENT SPENDING
BUDGET CYCLE
GOVERNMENT FINANCING
BUSINESS CYCLE
GENERAL GOVERNMENT FINAL CONSUMPTION EXPENDITURE
CAMPAIGN EXPENDITURES
COLLECTIVE ACTION
VOTERS
CONSUMPTION EXPENDITURES
NATIONAL INCOME
DEMOCRATIC ACCOUNTABILITY
DEMOCRATIC POLITIES
ECONOMIC GROWTH
ELECTION
ELECTION FRAUD
ELECTORAL PROCESS
EXPENDITURE
CONSUMPTION EXPENDITURE
EXPENDITURES
FINAL CONSUMPTION EXPENDITURE
FISCAL TRANSPARENCY
GENERAL GOVERNMENT FINAL CONSUMPTION EXPENDITURE
GOVERNMENT FINANCING
GOVERNMENT POLICIES
GOVERNMENT POLICY
GOVERNMENT PROGRAMS
GOVERNMENT RESOURCES
GOVERNMENT SPENDING
GOVERNMENT SYSTEMS
MODERN ECONOMIC GROWTH
NATIONAL BUDGET
NATIONAL INCOME
NEW DEMOCRACIES
PARTY LEADERS
POLITICAL BUSINESS CYCLE
PRESIDENTIAL RACE
POLITICAL INCENTIVES
POLITICAL PARTIES
POLITICAL SCIENCE
PRESIDENTIAL RACE
PUBLIC GOOD
SOCIAL WELFARE
TAX REVENUES
TRANSFER PROGRAMS
VOTER BEHAVIOR
VOTING
VOTING BEHAVIOR
VOTING BLOCS
WELFARE BENEFITS
WELFARE CONSEQUENCES
WELFARE LOSS TRANSFER PROGRAMS
WELFARE SERVICES
spellingShingle VOTE BUYING
CLIENT
ELECTION ADMISNITRATION
CREDIBLE COMMITTMENT
POLICITAL ECONOMY OF DEVELOPMENT BENEFITS
BUDGET CONSTRAINT
GOVERNMENT SPENDING
BUDGET CYCLE
GOVERNMENT FINANCING
BUSINESS CYCLE
GENERAL GOVERNMENT FINAL CONSUMPTION EXPENDITURE
CAMPAIGN EXPENDITURES
COLLECTIVE ACTION
VOTERS
CONSUMPTION EXPENDITURES
NATIONAL INCOME
DEMOCRATIC ACCOUNTABILITY
DEMOCRATIC POLITIES
ECONOMIC GROWTH
ELECTION
ELECTION FRAUD
ELECTORAL PROCESS
EXPENDITURE
CONSUMPTION EXPENDITURE
EXPENDITURES
FINAL CONSUMPTION EXPENDITURE
FISCAL TRANSPARENCY
GENERAL GOVERNMENT FINAL CONSUMPTION EXPENDITURE
GOVERNMENT FINANCING
GOVERNMENT POLICIES
GOVERNMENT POLICY
GOVERNMENT PROGRAMS
GOVERNMENT RESOURCES
GOVERNMENT SPENDING
GOVERNMENT SYSTEMS
MODERN ECONOMIC GROWTH
NATIONAL BUDGET
NATIONAL INCOME
NEW DEMOCRACIES
PARTY LEADERS
POLITICAL BUSINESS CYCLE
PRESIDENTIAL RACE
POLITICAL INCENTIVES
POLITICAL PARTIES
POLITICAL SCIENCE
PRESIDENTIAL RACE
PUBLIC GOOD
SOCIAL WELFARE
TAX REVENUES
TRANSFER PROGRAMS
VOTER BEHAVIOR
VOTING
VOTING BEHAVIOR
VOTING BLOCS
WELFARE BENEFITS
WELFARE CONSEQUENCES
WELFARE LOSS TRANSFER PROGRAMS
WELFARE SERVICES
Hanusch, Marek
Keefer, Philip
Promises, Promises : Vote-Buying and the Electoral Mobilization Strategies of Non-Credible Politicians
relation Policy Research Working Paper;No. 6653
description Vote-buying is pervasive, but not everywhere. What explains significant variations across countries in the greater use of pre-electoral transfers to mobilize voters relative to the use of pre-electoral promises of post-electoral transfers? This paper explicitly models the trade-offs that politicians incur when they decide between mobilizing support with vote-buying or promises of post-electoral benefits. Politicians rely more on vote-buying when they are less credible, target vote-buying to those who do not believe their political promises, and only buy votes from those who would have received post-electoral transfers in a world of full political credibility. The enforcement of a prohibition on vote-buying reduces the welfare of those targeted with vote-buying, but improves the welfare of all other groups in society.
format Publications & Research :: Policy Research Working Paper
author Hanusch, Marek
Keefer, Philip
author_facet Hanusch, Marek
Keefer, Philip
author_sort Hanusch, Marek
title Promises, Promises : Vote-Buying and the Electoral Mobilization Strategies of Non-Credible Politicians
title_short Promises, Promises : Vote-Buying and the Electoral Mobilization Strategies of Non-Credible Politicians
title_full Promises, Promises : Vote-Buying and the Electoral Mobilization Strategies of Non-Credible Politicians
title_fullStr Promises, Promises : Vote-Buying and the Electoral Mobilization Strategies of Non-Credible Politicians
title_full_unstemmed Promises, Promises : Vote-Buying and the Electoral Mobilization Strategies of Non-Credible Politicians
title_sort promises, promises : vote-buying and the electoral mobilization strategies of non-credible politicians
publisher World Bank, Washington, DC
publishDate 2014
url http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2013/10/18400395/promises-promises-vote-buying-electoral-mobilization-strategies-non-credible-politicians
http://hdl.handle.net/10986/16868
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