Nottingham Interdisciplinary Centre for Economic and Political Research (NICEP)
Abstract:
To what extent does material hardship affect political preferences? We argue that
preference updating happens at the intersection of contextual pull factors, such as
elite discourse, and individual push factors, such as an individual’s economic conditions. One key implication is that individuals are more likely to translate personal hardship into higher support for left-wing redistributive social policies when
political elites actively compete over these issues. Using data from 22 European
countries, we show that income is a better predictor of support for redistribution
in countries where parties polarize over economic and redistributive issues. To unpack the causal relationship between preferences and elite behavior, we examine
individual-level panel data from Great Britain, a country where elites have converged to the center on economic issues. We find that changes in the discursive
context help understand both when material interest matters and how much it affects economic policy preferences.
Nottingham Interdisciplinary Centre for Economic and Political Research (NICEP)
Abstract:
We experimentally investigate the relationship between discriminatory behaviour and the
perceived social appropriateness of discrimination. We test the framework of Akerlof and
Kranton (2000,2005), which suggests discrimination will be stronger when social norms
favour it. Our results support this prediction. Using a Krupka-Weber social norm elicitation
task, we find participants perceive it to be more socially appropriate to discriminate on the
basis of social identities artificially induced, using a trivial minimal group technique, than on
the basis of nationality. Correspondingly, we find that participants discriminate more in the
artificial identity setting. Our results suggest norms and the preference to comply with them
affect discriminatory decisions and that the social inappropriateness of discrimination can be
a moderator of discriminatory behaviour.
Topic:
Politics, Economy, Discrimination, Norms, and Society
Nottingham Interdisciplinary Centre for Economic and Political Research (NICEP)
Abstract:
We analyze the roots of politicians’ preferences for redistribution by exploring whether early life experiences have persistent, long-run effects on U.S. Members of Congress’ voting records. We study whether having experienced an economic
recession during early adulthood affected their positions on redistribution-specific
bills during the period 1957–2012. We find that politicians who experienced a recession hold more conservative positions on redistribution, even compared to members
of the same party in the same legislature. We rule out alternative accounts and show
that experiencing a recession directly affects future politicians’ personal preferences.
In light of recent empirical evidence showing that voters become more supportive of
redistribution following a recession, our findings suggest that macroeconomic shocks
have a polarizing effect: recessions can create an ideological wedge between voters
and their future representatives.
Nottingham Interdisciplinary Centre for Economic and Political Research (NICEP)
Abstract:
Plainti¤s/prosecutors present their evidence before defendants in common law
trials. We analyze a model of trials with the following properties. If litigants share
a common pool of evidence then they never prefer to present …rst, but may prefer to
present second. However, litigants may prefer to present …rst if they have di¤erent
available evidence because presenting …rst replicates the follower’s ex ante optimal
commitment. If litigants share available evidence then a litigant cannot prefer the
option to choose the order after observing the available evidence over always presenting second; and it may prefer to always present second over having the option
to choose the order.