Technological change, campaign spending and polarization☆

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpubeco.2022.104666Get rights and content
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open access

Highlights

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    A tractable endogenous valence model with office motives.

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    Unique PSNE with symmetric parties.

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    Endogenous division between impressionable and ideological voters.

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    Technology as an explanation for the increase in polarization and campaign spending.

Abstract

We present a model of electoral competition with endogenous platforms and campaign spending where the division of voters between impressionable and ideological is also endogenous and depends on parties’ strategic platform choices. Our approach results in a tractable model that provides interesting comparative statics on the effect of recent technological advancements. For instance, we can accommodate a new justification behind the well-documented simultaneous increase in campaign spending and polarization: an increase in the effectiveness of electoral advertising, or a decrease in the electorate’s political awareness, surely increases polarization and may also increase campaign spending.

Keywords

Electoral competition
Office motives
Endogenous valence
Campaign spending
Impressionable voters
Semiorder lexicographic preferences

JEL codes

D72

Cited by (0)

☆

We appreciate valuable feedback from audience in seminars in UPNA, Birkbeck, CUNEF, Innsbruck, Lancaster, Padova, and in the following events: 2017 Contests: Theory and Evidence Conference, 2018 European Winter Meeting of the Econometric Society, 2018 EUI Alumni Workshop, 2018 UdeSA Alumni Conference, Petralia Sottana 2018: Applied Economics Workshop, 2018 Political Economy Workshop Rotterdam, 2018 Madrid Political Economy Workshop, 3d Grode Workshop: Game Theory, CRETE 2021, RedNIE. Financial support from the Agencia Estatal de Investigación (AEI) and the European Regional Development Funds (ERDF) through grants ECO2017-86305-C4-1-R (Balart) and ECO2017-85763-R (Casas) is acknowledged. Casas acknowledges financial support from Fundación Ramón Areces through the XIX Concurso Nacional para la Adjudicación de Ayudas a la Investigación en Ciencias Sociales. The project leading to these results also received funding from “la Caixa” Foundation, under the agreement LCF/PR/PR13/51080004 (Casas).

© 2022 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V.