Replication Data for: Challenger Entry and Electoral Accountability

In this article, I investigate the effect of endogenous challenger entry on electoral accountability in the presence of adverse selection. To this end, I formulate a two-period electoral agency model wherein a potential challenger freely chooses whether to run for office. The effect of endogenous challenger entry on policy decisions is ambiguous: depending on model parameters, it can worsen or alleviate policy distortions. Analogously, marginally increasing the cost of running for office may amplify or reduce these distortions. This uncertainty regarding the effect on policymaking leads to equally ambiguous welfare implications. Nevertheless, I identify conditions under which endogenous challenger entry improves voter welfare. This suggests that, in some circumstances, imposing higher barriers to entry in elections may improve policymaking and voter welfare.