Does Forced Voting Result in Political Polarization?

Fernanda Leite Lopez de Leon and Renata Rizzi
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Renata Rizzi: Universidad de Sao Paulo

No 64, University of East Anglia Applied and Financial Economics Working Paper Series from School of Economics, University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK.

Abstract: This paper estimates effects of exposure to compulsory voting on individuals' political preferences, through a regression discontinuity framework. These results are important to understand effects of a voting system transition. The identification comes from Brazil's dual voting system: voluntary and compulsory. Using self-collected data, we find that compulsory voting legislation has sizeable effects on individuals' political preferences, making them more likely to identify with a political party, to become extreme oriented and to move to the left.

Date: 2014-08
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-cdm and nep-pol
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