Divided government, polarization, and policy: Regression-discontinuity evidence from US states

Luca Repetto and Maximiliano Sosa Andrés

European Journal of Political Economy, 2023, vol. 80, issue C

Abstract: In this paper we use data on US states and a regression-discontinuity design to study how divided government affects the polarization of the legislature, inter-branch conflict, and policy implementation. We document that Republican legislators serving under a divided government have more conservative ideologies than those serving under a fully unified government. Correspondingly, Democrats have more liberal ideologies. In terms of policy implementation, however, we find evidence of moderation: compared to unified Republican governments, divided ones with a democratic governorship or senate implement more liberal policies. When Democrats lose unified control, instead, policies become more conservative.

Keywords: Divided governments; Polarization; Policy liberalism; Regression-discontinuity design; US state governments (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: H7 P1 R50 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:poleco:v:80:y:2023:i:c:s0176268023001179

DOI: 10.1016/j.ejpoleco.2023.102473

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