Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/279254 
Year of Publication: 
2023
Series/Report no.: 
CESifo Working Paper No. 10504
Publisher: 
Center for Economic Studies and ifo Institute (CESifo), Munich
Abstract: 
The expression "cash-for-votes" describes a form of vote buying in which candidates for office pay individuals in exchange for their votes. That practice undermines the functioning of democracy but is pervasive in many parts of the world, especially in the Global South. We discuss estimates of cash-for-votes and rational choice theories to explain their existence. Cash-for-votes under secret ballots is puzzling as secret ballots make it impossible to verify an individual's vote. We discuss the behavioral and experimental literature emphasizing factors such as reciprocity, unsophisticated voting, and inequality aversion, which complement standard economic explanations of the phenomenon.
Subjects: 
democracy
vote buying
secret ballot
reciprocity
JEL: 
D72
D73
K42
Document Type: 
Working Paper
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