Is There an Election Cycle in Public Employment? Separating Time Effects from Election Year Effects

Matz Dahlberg and Eva Mörk ()

No 444, Discussion Papers from VATT Institute for Economic Research

Abstract: Do governments increase public employment in election years? This paper investigates this question by using data from Sweden and Finland, two countries that are similar in many respects but in which local elections are held at different points in time. We can thereby separate an election effect from other time effects. Our results indicate that there is a statistically significant election year effect in local public employment, a production factor that is highly visible in the welfare services provided by the local governments in the Scandinavian countries. The effect also seems to be economically significant; the municipalities employ 0.6 more full-time employees per 1,000 capita in election years than in other years (which correspond to an increase by approximately 1 percent). JEL-codes: D72, H72, P16

Keywords: Election cycle; Public employment; Exogenous elections; International comparisons; Kansainväliset vertailut; Labour market; Työmarkkinat; Local public economics; Kunnallistalous; Public services; Julkiset palvelut; Effectiveness of public services; Julkisten palvelujen vaikuttavuus (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2008
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (8)

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https://www.doria.fi/handle/10024/148432

Related works:
Journal Article: Is There an Election Cycle in Public Employment? Separating Time Effects from Election Year Effects (2011)
Working Paper: Is there an election cycle in public employment? Separating time effects from election year effects (2011)
Working Paper: Is there an election cycle in public employment? Separating time effects from election year effects (2008)
Working Paper: Is there an election cycle in public employment? Separating time effects from election year effects (2008)
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