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I argue that information and trust in nascent democratic institutions are two important sources of heterogeneity in economic voting in transition democracies. Economic voting develops in postcommunist electorates as ambiguity regarding the link between government policy and economic outcomes declines. The link becomes less ambiguous as citizens become more informed about how democratic institutions function and gain increasing confidence or trust in the responsiveness of these institutions to public preferences. In the early period of democratization the conditions necessary for an effective agency relationship between voter and incumbent are not yet fully developed. Economic voting increases as these levels of information on, and trust in, government rise. The analysis that tests these propositions is based on a public opinion survey conducted in Hungary in 1997. The test is replicated with a 1997 Polish election survey.

I argue that information and trust in nascent democratic institutions are two important sources of heterogeneity in economic voting in transition democracies. Economic voting develops in postcommunist electorates as ambiguity regarding the link between government policy and economic outcomes declines. The link becomes less ambiguous as citizens become more informed about how democratic institutions function and gain increasing confidence or trust in the responsiveness of these institutions to public preferences. In the early period of democratization the conditions necessary for an effective agency relationship between voter and incumbent are not yet fully developed. Economic voting increases as these levels of information on, and trust in, government rise. The analysis that tests these propositions is based on a public opinion survey conducted in Hungary in 1997. The test is replicated with a 1997 Polish election survey. (American Political Science Review / FUB)

The mass public in the Soviet Union is not enthusiastic about free-market reform. How, then, do citizens in a former communist regime develop an appreciation for free-market reforms? Different explanations for attitudes toward free market reforms are tested using data from a survey of the European USSR conducted in May 1990. First, negative assessments of recent economic performance is a catalyst for popular support for the market economy. Although very underdeveloped, there is a nascent free-market culture in the Soviet Union that makes a modest contribution to support for free-market reforms. The free-market culture that is developing in the former Soviet Union resembles that of social democracy, rather than laissez-faire capitalism. Democratic values and support for free markets are mutually reinforcing, suggesting that support for democracy makes a very important contribution to support for free-market reform.

In den letzten Jahrzehnten hat die Politik in Großbritannien durch verschiedene Reformen den Schwerpunkt der Altersvorsorge von der gesetzlichen Rente hin zu privater und betrieblicher Altersvorsorge verschoben. Im Gegenzug hat die Finanzkompetenz der Verbraucherinnen und Verbraucher sowie für Politiker und für Regulierungsbehörden an Relevanz gewonnen. Die experimentelle Überprüfung der Regulierung von Websiten, die Anlage- und Vorsorgeprodukte vergleichen sowie der Präsentation und Gestaltung von Produktinformationen durch Nudging entwickelt sich in Großbritannien gegenwärtig zu einem neuen Tätigkeitsfeld für Regulierungsbehörden. Wir haben für verschiedene britische Behörden experimentelle Studien zur individuellen Entscheidungsfindung von Verbraucherinnen und Verbrauchern auf dem Markt für Rentenprodukte durchgeführt. Wir nutzten für unsere Studien informationelle Nudges. Ein wesentliches Ergebnis, das wir aus diesen Studien gewinnen konnten, ist, dass personalisierte, auf individuelle demografische Faktoren zugeschnittene Nudges effektiv zum Vergleich von Rentenprodukten anregen. Eine deutliche Beeinflussung der Rentenentscheidung durch die individuelle Finanzkompetenz konnten wir aber nicht feststellen. ; Over the last decades, politics in the UK has shifted away its focus from government-managed pensions to privatized pension solutions and services. In turn, financial literacy has become a critical issue for consumers, politicians and regulation agencies. The precise experimental examination of website regulation used to compare investment and pension products, as well as the design and presentation of product information through nudging become new fields of activity for regulatory agencies. We have undertaken a number of experimental projects on consumer decision making on pension product markets for U.K. authorities. These experiments used informational nudges. A key finding that we have gained from these studies is that personalized nudges tailored to individual demographic factors effectively encourage comparison of pension products. However, we were not able to determine a clear influence on the pension decision by the individual financial literacy.