Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/214585 
Year of Publication: 
2016
Series/Report no.: 
CREMA Working Paper No. 2016-01
Publisher: 
Center for Research in Economics, Management and the Arts (CREMA), Zürich
Abstract: 
As the public debate over stem cell research continues, the observable voting behaviour in Switzerland offers a unique opportunity to compare the voting behaviour of politicians with that of voters. In this paper, by analysing the outcomes of a referendum on a liberal new bill regulating such research, we reveal an almost 10 percentage point lower probability of the bill being accepted by politicians than by a representative sample of voters. Whereas the politicians' behaviour is driven almost entirely by party affiliation, citizen votes are driven not only by party attachment but also by church attendance. Seldom or never attending church increases the probability of bill acceptance by over 23 percentage points, while supporting the Christian Democratic Party makes supporting the bill less likely for voters, suggesting that religious observance is important. The observance of these tendencies in Switzerland – an environment that promotes discussion through direct democratic rights – strongly suggests that citizens see the benefits of stem cell research.
Subjects: 
Representation
Stem Cells
Innovation
JEL: 
D72
I10
Document Type: 
Working Paper

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