Deliberation and Ethical Voting Behavior
Evidence from a Campaign Experiment in Benin
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 3302875 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Leonard Wantchekon (Princeton University, corresponding author), Jenny Guardado (0000-0003-1366-1206, Georgetown University, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2024 |
| Volume | 118 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Pages | 1261-1277 |
| Publication date | 2024-08-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | American Political Science Review (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0003-0554 • E-ISSN: 1537-5943 |
| Publisher | Cambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1017/s0003055423000813 |
| OpenAlex | W4389340897 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 2 |
| References cited | 45 |
The article provides experimental evidence of the effect of candidate-citizen town-hall meetings on voters' political behavior. The intervention took place prior to the March 2011 elections in Benin and involved 150 randomly selected villages. In the treatment group, candidates held town-hall meetings where voters deliberated over their electoral platforms. The control group was exposed to the standard campaign-that is, one-way communication of the candidate's platform by himself or his local broker. We find that town-hall meetings led to a more informed citizenry and higher electoral participation, which diverged little along socioeconomic lines. We also observe a lower effectiveness of vote-buying attempts where town halls took place. This is consistent with town-hall deliberation promoting what we call more "ethical" voters
Deliberation · Intervention (counseling · Local government · Political science · Politics · Public relations · Socioeconomic status · Sociology · Town hall · Voting · Electoral Systems and Political Participation · Experimental Behavioral Economics Studies · Law · Media Influence and Politics · Psychology · Public Administration
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| Unique citing works | 2 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 2 |
| Citation span | 2025 - 2025 (1) |
| Citation velocity | recent |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 2 |