Political parties as a commitment technology: effects of term limits on vote share



Document title: Political parties as a commitment technology: effects of term limits on vote share
Journal: Journal of applied economics
Database: CLASE
System number: 000401735
ISSN: 1667-6726
Authors: 1
Institutions: 1Middle Tennessee State University, Department of Economics and Finance, Murfreesboro, Tennessee. Estados Unidos de América
Year:
Season: Nov
Volumen: 15
Number: 2
Pages: 321-351
Country: Argentina
Language: Inglés
Document type: Artículo
Approach: Analítico, descriptivo
English abstract Building on models of electoral competition with reputational mechanisms, I show that term limits decrease the vote share of candidates from parties less able to reward or punish candidates. Candidates suffer by not being able to credibly commit to policies far from their own preferences. Assuming that the major parties can provide better discipline of their members than third parties, the implication of the model is that third party candidates will be worse off, in terms of vote share garnered, in elections for offices with term limits. The hypothesis that third parties do worse under term limits is tested using state gubernatorial elections. Data from 1977–2008 show the vote share of third party candidates is approximately six percent lower in elections for a term-limited office when controlling for other election characteristics and regional and temporal trends in party popularity
Disciplines: Economía
Keyword: Econometría,
Sistemas políticos,
Partidos políticos,
Votos,
Consistencia temporal,
Compromiso político,
Actores políticos
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