Political selection when uncertainty is high

Abstract

Any opinions expressed in this paper are those of the author(s) and not those of IZA. Research published in this series may include views on policy, but IZA takes no institutional policy positions. The IZA research network is committed to the IZA Guiding Principles of Research Integrity. The IZA Institute of Labor Economics is an independent economic research institute that conducts research in labor economics and offers evidence-based policy advice on labor market issues. Supported by the Deutsche Post Foundation, IZA runs the world's largest network of economists, whose research aims to provide answers to the global labor market challenges of our time. Our key objective is to build bridges between academic research, policymakers and society. IZA Discussion Papers often represent preliminary work and are circulated to encourage discussion. Citation of such a paper should account for its provisional character. A revised version may be available directly from the author.

Elections and policies: Evidence from the Covid pandemic

“…Therefore, if there were any intentions to manipulate voters' opinion prior to elections during Covid pandemic, such manipulations were more likely to occur in Covid-related restrictive policies rather than Covid-related economic support policies. Specifically, in times of heightened uncertainty, voters prioritize competent leaders (Baskaran et al, 2023). Covid-related policy responses represented a clear signal from the government (Gonzalez-Eiras & Niepelt, 2022) and had a significant influence on public opinion regarding government efficiency.…”