Length of candidate lists and political careers: Quasi-experimental evidence from Brazil

Abstract

This paper provides causal estimates of the effects of increases in the size of candidate lists on the political careers of newcomers to the political arena. We explore an exogenous discontinuity in district magnitude that allows parties to expand their candidate lists in the Brazilian open-list local elections and find that the additional candidacies are allocated to weaker candidates, mainly newcomers, who end up occupying a significant share of the additional seats. We also find that the electoral experience provided by the additional candidacies increases the number of newcomers elected in their second attempt.

Unequal Resources, Unequal Careers: The Role of Campaign Financing in the Gender Gap in Candidates’ Persistence in Brazil

“…Most of the time, it requires candidates not just to run but to run and lose several times before getting elected. An extensive body of literature has shown that by running and losing, candidates can learn from their mistakes, become better known among donors and voters, and perform better in future elections (Anagol and Fujiwara, 2016; Campos Fernandez Hott and Menezes-Filho, 2023; Canon, 1993; Haime, Vallejo, and Schwindt-Bayer, 2022; Mack, 1998; Roberds and Roberts, 2002; Söderlund and von Schoultz, 2023; Squire, 1992). Therefore, if persistence as candidate increases the chances of getting elected, a key question to understanding women’s representation is thus: Are women more likely than men to give up politics after losing an election?…”