Technological change, campaign spending and polarization

Pau Balart, Agustin Casas and Orestis Troumpounis

Journal of Public Economics, 2022, vol. 211, issue C

Abstract: We present a model of electoral competition with endogenous platforms and campaign spending where the division of voters between impressionable and ideological is also endogenous and depends on parties’ strategic platform choices. Our approach results in a tractable model that provides interesting comparative statics on the effect of recent technological advancements. For instance, we can accommodate a new justification behind the well-documented simultaneous increase in campaign spending and polarization: an increase in the effectiveness of electoral advertising, or a decrease in the electorate’s political awareness, surely increases polarization and may also increase campaign spending.

Keywords: Electoral competition; Office motives; Endogenous valence; Campaign spending; Impressionable voters; Semiorder lexicographic preferences (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: D72 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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Related works:
Working Paper: Technological Change, Campaign Spending and Polarization (2022)
Working Paper: Technological change, campaign spending and polarization (2019)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:pubeco:v:211:y:2022:i:c:s0047272722000688

DOI: 10.1016/j.jpubeco.2022.104666

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