Elections and Accountability in Democracies
Course Description
This course examines how electoral accountability operates in representative democracies. We will cover foundational theories of accountability alongside empirical research on how accountability mechanisms function — and sometimes fail — in practice. Students will engage with both seminal theoretical contributions and cutting-edge empirical studies.
Learning Objectives
By the end of this course, students will be able to:
- Explain key theoretical conceptions of electoral accountability (e.g., selection vs. sanctioning, political agency).
- Evaluate empirical strategies for studying accountability, including field experiments, natural experiments, and observational methods.
- Analyze how information availability shapes both voter behavior and incumbent actions.
- Critically assess the external validity and policy implications of accountability research.
- Develop a research proposal that engages with the debates and evidence discussed in the course.
Course Schedule
Part I: Theory
- Week 1: Introduction to Electoral Accountability
- Week 2: Defining Electoral Accountability
- Week 3: Accountability and Good Governance
Part II: Information and Voter Behavior
- Week 4: Empirical Analysis of Electoral Accountability
- Week 5: Media, Monitoring, and Information Environments
- Week 6: Corruption
- Week 7: Politician Performance
- Week 8: Public Goods