Pandering in the Shadows: How Natural Disasters Affect Special Interest Politics

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Kaplan, Ethan; Spenkuch, Jorg L.; Yuan, Haishan
• 署名单位: University System of Maryland; University of Maryland College Park; Northwestern University; National Bureau of Economic Research; University of Queensland
• 刊物名称: AMERICAN ECONOMIC JOURNAL-ECONOMIC POLICY
• ISSN/ISSBN: 1945-7731
• DOI: 10.1257/pol.20230783
• 发表日期: 2025
• 页码: 441-470
• 关键词: Campaign contributions; media bias; news; persuasion; money; access

摘要

We exploit the quasi-random timing of natural disasters to study the connection between public attention to politics and legislators' support for special interests. We show that when a disaster strikes, the news media reduce coverage of politics in general and of individual legislators in particular, and members of the House of Representatives become significantly more likely to adopt special interest donors' positions. The evidence implies that politicians are more inclined to take actions benefiting special interests when the public is distracted. More broadly, our findings suggest that attention to politics improves electoral accountability even in an environment with stringent transparency requirements. (JEL D72, L82, Q54)