Why People Vote for Corrupt Politicians: Evidence from Survey Experiments in Afghanistan. IGC Working Paper
Abstract
This report describes ongoing efforts to answer three important and related questions about corruption and voting behavior, using data from Afghanistan. First, to what degree do voters support corrupt politicians? IGC support has enabled us to provide a preliminary answer to this question, using newly collected observational data. Second, why do voters support corrupt politicians? A series of IGC-supported qualitative interviews with journalists has helped us shed light on this question. And third, how, and to what degree, can voters be persuaded to penalize corrupt politicians? Answers to these questions promise to enhance our theoretical and practical understanding of voting behavior with regard to corruption, and could also suggest possible remedies for the phenomenon.
Citation
Bhavnani, R.R.; Condra, L.N. Why People Vote for Corrupt Politicians: Evidence from Survey Experiments in Afghanistan. IGC Working Paper. International Growth Centre (IGC), London, UK (2012) 15 pp.
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