Who gets targeted for vote-buying? Evidence from an augmented list experiment in Turkey. (15th December 2014)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Çarkoğlu, Alı; Aytaç, S. Erdem
• Is Part Of: European political science review. Volume 7:Number 4(2015:Nov.)
• Page Start: 547
• Page End: 566
• Publication Date: 2014-12-15
• Subjects: vote buying, -- list experiment, -- LISTIT, -- Turkey; Politics, Practical -- Europe -- Periodicals; European Union countries -- Politics and government -- Periodicals; 320.09405
• DOI: 10.1017/S1755773914000320
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1755-7739

Abstract

Abstract : Understanding the dynamics of vote-buying is essential for improving accountability in elections in developing democracies. While list experiments are useful for attenuating social desirability bias associated with measuring vote-buying, they are not conducive to multivariate analyses, and the question of what types of individuals are targeted is left inadequately explored. We overcome this limitation by combining a population-based list experiment with an estimator (LISTIT) that allows for multivariate analyses in an efficient manner. Our analysis suggests that in the 2011 parliamentary elections in Turkey over one-third of the electorate was targeted for vote-buying, which is more than double the proportion willing to admit when asked directly. Additionally, we find that strong partisans of the ruling Justice and Development Party ( Adalet ve Kalkınma Partisi ), less-educated individuals, and urban residents are significantly more likely to be targeted for vote-buying. We present compelling evidence for the hypotheses that parties target their core supporters and socio-economically vulnerable individuals. The strength of our evidence derives from the use of original data on vote-buying that has been collected in an unobtrusive manner and analyzed at the level of individuals.