Selective Accountability: Performance Indicators and MPs' Behavior

Tom Buchot (), Charles Louis-Sidois () and Elisa Mougin ()
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Tom Buchot: CERGIC - Center for Economic Research on Governance, Inequality and Conflict - ENS de Lyon - École normale supérieure de Lyon - Université de Lyon
Charles Louis-Sidois: WU - Wirtschaftsuniversität Wien [Austria]
Elisa Mougin: CERGIC - Center for Economic Research on Governance, Inequality and Conflict - ENS de Lyon - École normale supérieure de Lyon - Université de Lyon

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Abstract: Performance indicators transform political press coverage, yet their effects on MPs' behavior remain unstudied. Using Nosdeputes.fr, the French website computing such indicators, we address this gap. We compile a comprehensive dataset of press articles, identifying all mentions of MPs' indicators, to disentangle the effects of the website from those of indicator coverage. Performances increase following the website's launch, further amplified by coverage. However, MPs explicitly mentioned do not show additional improvements. While transparency prompts some manipulatione.g., increased copy-pasting-there is no evidence of strategic inflation in amendments or speeches. Thus, indicators enhance collective but not individual accountability, with limited adverse effects.

Keywords: Political accountability; Media; Transparency; Data journalism (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024-12-18
Note: View the original document on HAL open archive server: https://hal.science/hal-04851299v1
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