Multidimensional Signaling and the Rise of Cultural Politics

Daron Acemoglu (), Georgy Egorov () and Konstantin Sonin ()
Additional contact information
Daron Acemoglu: MIT and NBER
Georgy Egorov: Kellogg School ofManagement and NBER
Konstantin Sonin: University of Chicago

No 2026-34, Working Papers from Becker Friedman Institute for Research In Economics

Abstract: In turbulent times, political labels become increasingly uninformative about politicians’ true policy preferences or their ability to withstand the influence of special interest groups. We offer a model in which politicians use campaign rhetoric to signal their political preferences in multiple dimensions. In equilibrium, the less popular types try to pool with the more popular ones, whereas the more popular types seek to separate themselves. The ability of voters to process information shapes politicians’ campaign rhetoric. If the signals on the cultural dimension are more precise, politicians signal more there, even if the economy is more important to voters. The unpopular type benefits from increased conformity, which bridges the candidates’ rhetoric and makes it more difficult for voters to make an informed decision.

Keywords: elections; multidimensional signaling; populism; culture; conformity (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: D72 D84 P00 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 41 pages
Date: 2026
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-mic and nep-pol
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