Replication Data for: Holding Incumbent Chief Executives Accountable in Local Government: Political versus Administrative Determinants

What determines incumbent chief executives’ re-election in local government? Research on this subject tends to focus on the impact of political or economic factors. Yet, given that incumbent chief executives also strive to manage the administrative performance of local government, this is an important oversight. In this article, we examine whether and to what extent incumbents’ administrative innovation, as a new administrative factor vis-à-vis conventional political and economic factors, determines incumbents’ re-election in local government. Analyzing 292 incumbents’ re-election and their vote shares in the two most recent local government elections in South Korea as of 2025, we find that both political and administrative factors are significant determinants. While the political determinants, such as partisan alignment with the central government and affiliation with major parties, have the largest impact on incumbents’ re-election, administrative innovation by incumbents, as the administrative determinant, turns out to be no less important, as its impact on incumbents’ re-election is second largest. The implications of our findings are clear: incumbents are held accountable not only for their political attributes but also for their administrative performance in local government.