Using Italian municipality-level data on national elections and IV estimation strategy, we find
that immigration generates a sizable causal increase in votes for the center-right coalition …

This article uses a regression discontinuity design in close electoral races to disclose purely
political reasons in the allocation of intergovernmental transfers in a federal state. We …

We investigate a channel through which social capital may improve economic well-being
and the functioning of institutions: political accountability. The main idea is that voters who …

The wage paid to politicians affects both the choice of citizens to run for office and the
performance of those who are appointed. First, if skilled individuals shy away from politics …

We ask whether the birthplaces of Italian members of Parliament are favoured in the
allocation of central government transfers. Using a panel of municipalities for the years …

Constitutional political economy has emerged as an indispensable part of political economy.
This book offers a concise survey of the questions, methods, and empirical findings central …

Proportional electoral rules are associated with more substantial women's representation
than majoritarian ones. To provide causal evidence that electoral rules affect women's …

With inefficient bureaucratic institutions, the effects of laws are hard to assess and
incompetent politicians may pass laws to build a reputation as skillful reformers. Since too …

We study the recruitment of individuals in the political sector. We propose an equilibrium
model of political recruitment by two political parties competing in an election. We show that …

Political agency models suggest that elected public officials choose different policies than
appointed officials do. This paper is the first (a) to apply a clean empirical design to study …