1. Progress and Perspectives in the Study of Political Selection
- Author
-
Ernesto Dal Bó and Frederico Finan
- Subjects
Economics and Econometrics ,Political class ,Comparative statics ,media_common.quotation_subject ,05 social sciences ,Probabilistic logic ,0506 political science ,Supply and demand ,Politics ,Voting ,0502 economics and business ,050602 political science & public administration ,Selection (linguistics) ,Economics ,Quality (business) ,050207 economics ,Positive economics ,media_common - Abstract
Full text and PDF of this article will be published in August 2018 We provide a model of self-selection by candidates in a probabilistic voting environment to shed light on the forces shaping the quality of politicians from both the supply and demand sides of politics. The model highlights the idea that the patterns of selection and the comparative statics of politician quality depend critically on how the costs of running for office vary for candidates with different qualities. The model offers predictions on how the quality of the political class will vary with key parameters pertaining to both the supply and demand for candidates. We use the model to frame a review of the empirical literature on political selection that has emerged over the past two decades. We contrast areas where significant progress has been made with others where important theoretical predictions remain untested or existing evidence does not allow a consensus, highlighting areas for future research.
- Published
- 2018