Paying “cash-for-votes”

Anand Murugesan and Jean-Robert Tyran

Chapter 69 in Elgar Encyclopedia of Public Choice, 2025, pp 483-492 from Edward Elgar Publishing

Abstract: The expression “cash-for-votes” describes a form of vote buying in which candidates for office pay individuals in exchange for their votes. That practice undermines the functioning of democracy but is pervasive in many parts of the world, especially in the Global South. We discuss estimates of cash-for-votes and rational choice theories explaining their existence. Cash-for-votes under secret ballots is puzzling, as secret ballots make it impossible to verify an individual's vote. We discuss the behavioral and experimental literature emphasizing factors such as reciprocity, unsophisticated voting, and inequality aversion, which complement standard economic explanations of the phenomenon.

Keywords: Cash-for-votes; Electoral manipulation; Vote-buying; Secret ballot; Voter reciprocity; Behavioral economics (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
ISBN: 9781802207743
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