Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/121768 
Year of Publication: 
2015
Series/Report no.: 
Munich Discussion Paper No. 2015-10
Publisher: 
Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Volkswirtschaftliche Fakultät, München
Abstract: 
Since good-looking politicians win more votes, a beauty advantage for politicians on the left or on the right is bound to have political consequences. We show that politicians on the right look more beautiful in Europe, the United States and Australia. Our explanation is that beautiful people earn more, which makes them less inclined to support redistribution. Accordingly, our model predicts that voters use beauty as a cue for conservatism when they do not know much about candidates and that politicians on the right benefit more from beauty in low-information elections. Evidence from real and experimental elections confirms both predictions.
Subjects: 
Beauty
Elections
Political candidates
Appearance
Ideology
Parties
JEL: 
D72
J45
J70
Persistent Identifier of the first edition: 
Document Type: 
Working Paper

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