Research
Voter Psychology in Support for Clientelistic Corruption
Faculty Research Grant
Grant Year
2013-2014 Much of the literature on electoral accountability and corruption treats corruption as a monolithic entity. In a prior survey experiment, we found that the poor were less willing to punish clientelism than personal enrichment, while the wealthy punished the two forms of corruption equally. We propose a replication survey in El Salvador to measure attitudes that may predict the willingness to differentiate between the two types of corruption. Understanding the psychology behind supporting corrupt politicians may offer guidance on which proposed solutions are more or less likely to succeed. The survey will cost $7,900 and will be completed during the summer. The goal is to produce a publishable manuscript with four graduate students.
