Agenda Setting and Reciprocal Vote Trading

Urs Fischbacher and Simeon Schudy

No 58, TWI Research Paper Series from Thurgauer Wirtschaftsinstitut, Universität Konstanz

Abstract: We study the implications of reciprocity on agenda setting in a sequential policy decision. We designed a laboratory experiment in which a committee decides sequentially on three independent bills. Selfish committee members would turn down all bills but reciprocity allows for implicit vote trading. This mechanism gives power to agenda setters. We find that agenda setters use their power when setting the agenda but are rather generous in the voting decision. Legislators benefiting from the chosen agenda support the agenda setter more frequently whereas those suffering from the chosen agenda punish the agenda setter. Nevertheless agenda setting increases efficiency.

Keywords: Agenda Setting; Sequential Voting; Vote Trading; Reciprocity; Experiment (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2010
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.twi-kreuzlingen.ch/wp-content/uploads/ ... r-schudy-2010-10.pdf (application/pdf)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:twi:respas:0058

Access Statistics for this paper

More papers in TWI Research Paper Series from Thurgauer Wirtschaftsinstitut, Universität Konstanz Contact information at EDIRC.
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Urs Fischbacher ().