Investigating elite behavior through field experiment in Brazil: do candidates answer more to core or swing voters?
This paper explores recent advances in experimental methodology to analyze elite behavior. Using an email experiment conducted in the context of the Brazilian 2008 municipal elections, we studied whether candidates target "swing" or "core" voters during campaigns. Candidates from...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Brazilian Political Science Association
2013-04-01
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| Series: | Brazilian Political Science Review |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.scielo.br/pdf/bpsr/v7n1/03.pdf |
| _version_ | 1819113877788426240 |
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| author | Paolo Spada Feliciano de Sá Guimarães |
| author_facet | Paolo Spada Feliciano de Sá Guimarães |
| author_sort | Paolo Spada |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | This paper explores recent advances in experimental methodology to analyze elite behavior. Using an email experiment conducted in the context of the Brazilian 2008 municipal elections, we studied whether candidates target "swing" or "core" voters during campaigns. Candidates from all parties – 1,000 candidates in all – were contacted by randomly generated citizens who identified themselves as either core or swing voters. Additionally, we randomized senders' past voting behavior and their gender. To identify the baseline answer rate, we employed a placebo treatment with no reference to the elections. Our results show that Brazilian candidates target any sender as long as she identifies herself as a potential voter. Within this general finding, models with city-specific fixed effects indicate that Brazilian politicians tend to target core voters. The paper contributes to the general experimental literature by providing an easily replicable design that can test the behavior of elite interaction with the public. At the same time, the paper extends the literature on core versus swing voters by providing an empirical test that can shed light on the effects of a specific political environment (type of election, voting rule, and party structure), and how it affects the relationship between candidates and voters during elections. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-22T04:36:23Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-cc7248986a864272b261450444065058 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1981-3821 1981-3821 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-22T04:36:23Z |
| publishDate | 2013-04-01 |
| publisher | Brazilian Political Science Association |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Brazilian Political Science Review |
| spelling | doaj.art-cc7248986a864272b2614504440650582022-12-21T18:38:53ZengBrazilian Political Science AssociationBrazilian Political Science Review1981-38211981-38212013-04-01715673Investigating elite behavior through field experiment in Brazil: do candidates answer more to core or swing voters?Paolo Spada0Feliciano de Sá Guimarães1Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation, Harvard Kennedy School, USAEscola Superior de Propaganda e Marketing (ESPM), BrazilThis paper explores recent advances in experimental methodology to analyze elite behavior. Using an email experiment conducted in the context of the Brazilian 2008 municipal elections, we studied whether candidates target "swing" or "core" voters during campaigns. Candidates from all parties – 1,000 candidates in all – were contacted by randomly generated citizens who identified themselves as either core or swing voters. Additionally, we randomized senders' past voting behavior and their gender. To identify the baseline answer rate, we employed a placebo treatment with no reference to the elections. Our results show that Brazilian candidates target any sender as long as she identifies herself as a potential voter. Within this general finding, models with city-specific fixed effects indicate that Brazilian politicians tend to target core voters. The paper contributes to the general experimental literature by providing an easily replicable design that can test the behavior of elite interaction with the public. At the same time, the paper extends the literature on core versus swing voters by providing an empirical test that can shed light on the effects of a specific political environment (type of election, voting rule, and party structure), and how it affects the relationship between candidates and voters during elections.http://www.scielo.br/pdf/bpsr/v7n1/03.pdfExperimental analysisElectoral StudiesUrban PoliticsMethodology |
| spellingShingle | Paolo Spada Feliciano de Sá Guimarães Investigating elite behavior through field experiment in Brazil: do candidates answer more to core or swing voters? Brazilian Political Science Review Experimental analysis Electoral Studies Urban Politics Methodology |
| title | Investigating elite behavior through field experiment in Brazil: do candidates answer more to core or swing voters? |
| title_full | Investigating elite behavior through field experiment in Brazil: do candidates answer more to core or swing voters? |
| title_fullStr | Investigating elite behavior through field experiment in Brazil: do candidates answer more to core or swing voters? |
| title_full_unstemmed | Investigating elite behavior through field experiment in Brazil: do candidates answer more to core or swing voters? |
| title_short | Investigating elite behavior through field experiment in Brazil: do candidates answer more to core or swing voters? |
| title_sort | investigating elite behavior through field experiment in brazil do candidates answer more to core or swing voters |
| topic | Experimental analysis Electoral Studies Urban Politics Methodology |
| url | http://www.scielo.br/pdf/bpsr/v7n1/03.pdf |
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