Suchergebnisse

AbstractWhat is the relationship between voting and individual life satisfaction in Latin America? While studies of Western Europe suggest that voters are happier than nonvoters, this relationship has not been explored in the younger democracies of the developing world, including those of Latin America. Using multilevel regression models to examine individual-level survey data, this study shows a positive correlation between voting and happiness in the region, noting, however, that the relationship is attenuated in those countries that have enforced compulsory voting. We then explore the causal direction of this relationship: while the existing literature points to voting as a possible determinant of individual happiness, it is also possible that happier individuals are more likely to vote. Three different strategies are used to disentangle this relationship. On balance, the evidence suggests that individual happiness is more likely to be a cause rather than an effect of voting in Latin America.

Theoretical literatures on procedural utility and the psychological benefits of political participation suggest that people who participate in political activities will be more satisfied with their lives because of the resulting feelings of autonomy, competence and relatedness. Individual-level data from Latin America show - in one dataset under study but not in another - a positive and statistically significant relationship between voting and life satisfaction. Variation in desire to vote as measured in Costa Rica, however, suggests that the causal arrow may run from happiness to voting. The use of multilevel models further reveals a consistent - but untheorized - cross-country negative relationship between enforced compulsory voting and happiness. Only preliminary results are found regarding the relationship between some other forms of political participation and life satisfaction.

How does information about the presence of foreign financing in a development project change people's perceptions of that project? Using an informational experiment in Bangladesh, we find that information about US financing of a specific development intervention sends a positive signal about project quality; this effect is concentrated among individuals who are the least likely to have been exposed to the information ex ante. The information does not change the already high demand for foreign aid but does help citizens target their demands toward the existing donor. That foreign funding can be a signal of project quality helps explain an existing finding in the literature that individuals prefer foreign aid projects to government projects.