Politician Family Networks and Electoral Outcomes: Evidence from the Philippines

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Cruz, Cesi; Labonne, Julien; Querubin, Pablo
• 署名单位: University of British Columbia; University of Oxford; New York University
• 刊物名称: AMERICAN ECONOMIC REVIEW
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0002-8282
• DOI: 10.1257/aer.20150343
• 发表日期: 2017
• 页码: 3006-3037
• 关键词: field experiment; social networks; public-goods; clientelism; provision; BROKERS; POWER

摘要

We demonstrate the importance of politician social networks for electoral outcomes. Using large-scale data on family networks from over 20 million individuals in 15,000 villages in the Philippines, we show that candidates for public office are disproportionately drawn from more central families and family network centrality contributes to higher vote shares during the elections. Consistent with our theory of political intermediation, we present evidence that family network centrality facilitates relationships of political exchange. Moreover, we show that family networks exercise an effect independent of wealth, historical elite status, or previous electoral success.