Data for: Buying votes versus supplying public services: Political incentives to under-invest in pro-poor policies

Abstract of associated article: This paper provides evidence that vote buying in poor democracies is associated with lower investments in broadly delivered public services that have been shown to disproportionately benefit the poor. Using detailed data around the local institutional context in the Philippines, the paper shows how the correlation can be interpreted as arising in equilibrium under conditions of clientelism, when political strategies emphasize the provision of targeted benefits in exchange for political support. In places where households report more vote buying, government records show that municipalities invest less in basic health services for mothers and children; and, a higher percentage of children are recorded as severely under-weight. Corroborating evidence is provided using Afrobarometer surveys across 33 countries. Taken together, the evidence shows that where politicians purchase political support through targeted transfers, they are likely to trade it off against the provision of broader public services on which poor people rely.

本文提供了关于贫困民主国家中投票购买行为与广泛提供公共服务投资减少之间关联的证据，这些公共服务对贫困群体的益处尤为显著。通过菲律宾当地制度背景的详细数据，论文展示了这种关联如何在客户主义条件下的均衡状态下产生，此时政治策略强调以政治支持为代价提供针对性的福利。在报告投票购买行为较为普遍的地区，政府记录显示，地方政府在为母亲和儿童提供基本卫生服务方面的投资减少；同时，记录的儿童严重低体重的比例也较高。通过在33个国家进行的非洲晴雨表调查，提供了佐证证据。综合这些证据表明，当政治家通过有针对性的转移支付购买政治支持时，他们可能会将其与为贫困人群提供依赖的更广泛公共服务进行权衡。