TY - JOUR
T1 - Lacking information or condoning corruption
T2 - When do voters support corrupt politicians?
AU - Winters, Matthew S.
AU - Weitz-Shapiro, Rebecca
PY - 2013/7
Y1 - 2013/7
N2 - Why are citizens willing to cast ballots for corrupt politicians? On the one hand, voters may simply lack information about corruption. On the other hand, voters may knowingly overlook corruption when politicians otherwise perform well in office, delivering public goods to their constituents. Citizen responses to a nationwide survey in Brazil indicate that the vast majority of voters express a willingness to punish corrupt politicians, regardless of politician performance. High income voters form a partial exception to this overall rejection of corruption; they react less negatively to information about corruption and more strongly to information about competence than the general population. These findings imply that specific, credible, and accessible information will lead most voters to punish corrupt politicians at the polls.
AB - Why are citizens willing to cast ballots for corrupt politicians? On the one hand, voters may simply lack information about corruption. On the other hand, voters may knowingly overlook corruption when politicians otherwise perform well in office, delivering public goods to their constituents. Citizen responses to a nationwide survey in Brazil indicate that the vast majority of voters express a willingness to punish corrupt politicians, regardless of politician performance. High income voters form a partial exception to this overall rejection of corruption; they react less negatively to information about corruption and more strongly to information about competence than the general population. These findings imply that specific, credible, and accessible information will lead most voters to punish corrupt politicians at the polls.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84883045874&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=84883045874&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.5129/001041513X13815259182857
DO - 10.5129/001041513X13815259182857
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:84883045874
SN - 0010-4159
VL - 45
SP - 418
EP - 436
JO - Comparative Politics
JF - Comparative Politics
IS - 4
ER -