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The Politics of Public Service Reform

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Listed:
  • Sandholtz, Wayne Aaron

    (Nova School of Business and Economics)

Abstract

This paper provides experimental evidence on the electoral effect of a large education reform in a developing democracy. The reform significantly improved school quality on many dimensions (Romero, Sandefur, & Sandholtz, 2020). In this paper, I show that the reform reduced the incumbent party's pres- idential vote share by 2.1 percentage points (5%). The reform also reduced teachers' job satisfaction, support for the incumbent government, and political engagement. Electoral effects were positively correlated with effects on teachers' political engagement; the reform lost most votes where it caused greatest political disengagement of teachers.

Suggested Citation

  • Sandholtz, Wayne Aaron, 2025. "The Politics of Public Service Reform," IZA Discussion Papers 18346, IZA Network @ LISER.
    • Handle: RePEc:iza:izadps:dp18346
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    File URL: https://docs.iza.org/dp18346.pdf
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Natalie Bau, 2022. "Estimating an Equilibrium Model of Horizontal Competition in Education," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 130(7), pages 1717-1764.
    2. Assar Lindbeck & Jörgen Weibull, 1987. "Balanced-budget redistribution as the outcome of political competition," Public Choice, Springer, vol. 52(3), pages 273-297, January.
    3. Rodrik, Dani & Mukand, Sharun, 2018. "The Political Economy of Ideas: On Ideas versus Interests in Policymaking," CEPR Discussion Papers 12820, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    4. World Bank, 2004. "World Development Report 2005," World Bank Publications - Books, The World Bank Group, number 5987, April.
    5. Joao R. Ferreira & Wayne Aaron Sandholtz, 2025. "Sibling spillovers and free schooling," Nova SBE Working Paper Series wp2506, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Nova School of Business and Economics.
    6. João R. Ferreira & Wayne Aaron Sandholtz & Wayne Sandholtz, 2024. "Sibling Spillovers and Free Schooling," CESifo Working Paper Series 11436, CESifo.
    7. Cesi Cruz & Philip Keefer & Julien Labonne & Francesco Trebbi, 2024. "Making Policies Matter: Voter Responses to Campaign Promises," The Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 134(661), pages 1875-1913.
    8. Caroline Minter Hoxby, 1996. "How Teachers' Unions Affect Education Production," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 111(3), pages 671-718.
    9. Mitra Akhtari & Diana Moreira & Laura Trucco, 2022. "Political Turnover, Bureaucratic Turnover, and the Quality of Public Services," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 112(2), pages 442-493, February.
    10. Fernandez, Raquel & Rodrik, Dani, 1991. "Resistance to Reform: Status Quo Bias in the Presence of Individual-Specific Uncertainty," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 81(5), pages 1146-1155, December.
    11. Nathaniel Hendren & Ben Sprung-Keyser, 2020. "A Unified Welfare Analysis of Government Policies," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 135(3), pages 1209-1318.
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    Keywords

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    JEL classification:

    • I25 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Education and Economic Development
    • O10 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - General
    • P00 - Political Economy and Comparative Economic Systems - - General - - - General
    • C93 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Design of Experiments - - - Field Experiments
    • D72 - Microeconomics - - Analysis of Collective Decision-Making - - - Political Processes: Rent-seeking, Lobbying, Elections, Legislatures, and Voting Behavior
    • H41 - Public Economics - - Publicly Provided Goods - - - Public Goods

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