Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/307342 
Year of Publication: 
2024
Series/Report no.: 
CESifo Working Paper No. 11412
Publisher: 
CESifo GmbH, Munich
Abstract: 
This paper assesses the effectiveness of democratic systems in preventing individuals with criminal backgrounds from holding political office. Unlike many countries, Norway has no legal restrictions against felons running for office. We analyze local election candidates from 2003 to 2019, paired with administrative records of criminal offenses. We demonstrate that individuals with criminal records are systematically penalized at every stage of their political careers. Candidates are less likely to have criminal records than the general population, with elected officials less likely to have criminal backgrounds than their unelected peers, and mayors being the most lawful. Through a series of counterfactual exercises, we demonstrate that the most significant reduction in criminal involvement occurs at the nomination stage, especially within established local party organizations.
Subjects: 
political selection
criminal backgrounds
voter behaviour
political parties
JEL: 
D72
D73
J24
Document Type: 
Working Paper
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