along two dimensions of unobservable character: public spirit (altruism toward others) and honesty (the disutility suffered …

We demonstrate that personal connections amongst politicians have a significant impact on the voting behavior of U ….S. politicians. Networks based on alumni connections between politicians, as well as common seat locations on the chamber floor, are …

When voters fear that politicians may have a right-wing bias or that they may be influenced or corrupted by the rich … right. Truly right-wing politicians respond by choosing more moderate, or even left-of-center policies. This populist bias … polarization between the policy preferences of the median voter and right-wing politicians; when politicians are indeed more likely …

, we rule out a range of alternative explanations for differential earnings of politicians and a relevant control group …

political selection among the universe of municipal politicians and national legislators in Sweden, using extraordinarily rich … characterize an “inclusive meritocracy.” First, politicians are on average significantly smarter and better leaders than the … selection between competence and social representation, mainly due to strong positive selection of politicians of low (parental …