Political Cycles: The Opposition Advantage

Pascal Gautier and Raphael Soubeyran
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Pascal Gautier: GREQAM, Université d’Aix-Marseille II

No 2005.129, Working Papers from Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei

Abstract: We propose a two dimensional infinite horizon model of public consumption in which investments are decided by a winner-take-all election. Investments in the two public goods create a linkage across periods and parties have different specialities. We show that the incumbent party vote share decreases the longer it stays in power. Parties chances of winning do not converge and, when the median voter is moderate enough, no party can maintain itself in power for ever. Finally, the more parties are specialized and the more public policies have long-term effects, the more political cycles are likely to occur.

Keywords: Cycles; Alternation; Public goods; Advantage; Opposition (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: C72 D72 H41 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2005-10
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-cdm, nep-pbe and nep-pol
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Working Paper: Political Cycles: the Opposition Advantage (2005)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:fem:femwpa:2005.129

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