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Taxes and Turnout: When the Decisive Voter Stays at Home

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  • Felix Bierbrauer
  • Aleh Tsyvinski
  • Nicolas Werquin

Abstract

We develop a model of political competition with endogenous turn-out and endogenous platforms. Parties trade off incentivizing their supporters to vote and discouraging the supporters of the competing party from voting. We show that the latter objective is particularly pronounced for a party with an edge in the political race. Thus, an increase in political support for a party may lead to the adoption of policies favoring its opponents so as to asymmetrically demobilize them. We study the implications for the political economy of redistributive taxation. Equilibrium tax policy is typically aligned with the interest of voters who are demobilized.

Suggested Citation

  • Felix Bierbrauer & Aleh Tsyvinski & Nicolas Werquin, 2022. "Taxes and Turnout: When the Decisive Voter Stays at Home," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 112(2), pages 689-719, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:aea:aecrev:v:112:y:2022:i:2:p:689-719
    DOI: 10.1257/aer.20171927
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    4. Felix J. Bierbrauer & Martin F. Hellwig, 2016. "Robustly Coalition-Proof Incentive Mechanisms for Public Good Provision are Voting Mechanisms and Vice Versa," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 83(4), pages 1440-1464.
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    Cited by:

    1. Dong-Hee Joe, 2023. "Discipline by turnout," Economics of Governance, Springer, vol. 24(4), pages 501-518, December.
    2. Marcus Berliant & Pierre C. Boyer, 2024. "Politics and income taxes: Progress and progressivity," Journal of Public Economic Theory, Association for Public Economic Theory, vol. 26(4), August.
    3. Christian Bayer & Alexander Kriwoluzky & Gernot J. Müller & Fabian Seyrich, 2025. "Being and Consciousness: Fiscal Attitudes according to HANK," ECONtribute Discussion Papers Series 368, University of Bonn and University of Cologne, Germany.

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • D63 - Microeconomics - - Welfare Economics - - - Equity, Justice, Inequality, and Other Normative Criteria and Measurement
    • D72 - Microeconomics - - Analysis of Collective Decision-Making - - - Political Processes: Rent-seeking, Lobbying, Elections, Legislatures, and Voting Behavior
    • H23 - Public Economics - - Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue - - - Externalities; Redistributive Effects; Environmental Taxes and Subsidies
    • H24 - Public Economics - - Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue - - - Personal Income and Other Nonbusiness Taxes and Subsidies

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