The directional theory of issue voting - a new theory proposed by Rabinowitz and Macdonald - has, in a series of analyses, been shown to outperform the old Downsian proximity theory. This result has a very practical consequence: according to the directional theory, a centrist party cannot expect...

In the 2002 election, candidates for Pakistan’s federal legislature had to possess at least a bachelor’s degree. This policy disqualified 60 out of the 207 incumbent legislators from running for election again. Using a difference-in-differences approach with panel data on all electoral...

We develop a model that captures the basic characteristics of competitively authoritarian regimes. An incumbent (government) faces a challenge from a rival (opposition). There is also an agent (bureaucracy) who can shirk and can interfere in this contest. Shirking is costly to the incumbent. The...