Electoral Economics in New Democracies: Affecting Attitudes About Democracy

deficits before elections —when new democracies are particularly fragile - in the attempt to convince voters that “democracy works”, with these expenditures going primarily to citizens rather than elites. Data on the composition of election year expenditure increases in new democracies are broadly consistent with the suggested pattern. The focus on citizens rather than elites, and the implications of the necessity of “buying off” citizens rather than elites to prevent a successful coup or similar measure contrasts with some of the recent literature on democratic consolidation.