Impressionable Voters

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Andonie, Costel; Diermeier, Daniel
• 署名单位: University of Chicago; University of Chicago; University of Chicago; Canadian Institute for Advanced Research (CIFAR); Canadian Institute for Advanced Research (CIFAR)
• 刊物名称: AMERICAN ECONOMIC JOURNAL-MICROECONOMICS
• ISSN/ISSBN: 1945-7669
• DOI: 10.1257/mic.20160202
• 发表日期: 2019
• 页码: 79-104
• 关键词: multi-candidate elections; behavioral-model; COORDINATION; PARTICIPATION; equilibria; polls

摘要

We propose a model of impressionable voters. Impressionable voters vote based on impressions rather than maximizing expected utility. We apply our model to elections with multiple candidates and solve for the stationary distributions of the implied stochastic process. In elections with two candidates, we find that impressionable voters select the candidate that maximizes utilitarian welfare. In multi candidate elections, Condorcet winners are elected provided that a majority of voters is able to sufficiently distinguish competing candidates. In such cases, models with impressionable voters may have better normative properties than models with rational voters.