Template-Type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0

Author-Name: Ivar Kolstad 
Author-Name: Arne Wiig 
Title: Elite behaviour and citizen mobilization
Abstract:  This paper studies the relation between self-serving elite behaviour and citizen political participation. We use a fixed effects approach to analyze the association between portfolio investment in tax havens and voter turnout, using data from 213 parliamentary elections in 65 countries for the period 1998-2014. For well-functioning democracies, we find a positive relation between the use of tax havens and voter turnout, suggesting that self-serving elite behaviour is associated with citizen political mobilization rather than voter apathy. The estimated relationship is stronger in the period after the 2008 economic crisis, when elite behaviour was a particularly salient issue. 

Length: 28 pages
Creation-Date: 2015 
File-URL: https://www.cmi.no/publications/file/5607-elite-behaviour-and-citizen-mobilization.pdf
File-Format: application/pdf 

Number: 8
Keywords: Elites, citizens, portfolio investment, tax havens, voter turnout,political economy
Classification-JEL: 

Handle: RePEc:chm:wpaper:wp2015-8