Legislative Malapportionment and Institutional Persistence

Bruhn, Miriam; Gallego, Francisco; Onorato, Massimiliano

dc.creator	Bruhn, Miriam
dc.creator	Gallego, Francisco
dc.creator	Onorato, Massimiliano
dc.date	2012-03-19T18:42:41Z
dc.date	2012-03-19T18:42:41Z
dc.date	2010-11-01
dc.date.accessioned	2023-02-17T21:06:28Z
dc.date.available	2023-02-17T21:06:28Z
dc.identifier	http://www-wds.worldbank.org/external/default/main?menuPK=64187510&pagePK=64193027&piPK=64187937&theSitePK=523679&menuPK=64187510&searchMenuPK=64187283&siteName=WDS&entityID=000158349_20101102132755
dc.identifier	http://hdl.handle.net/10986/3948
dc.identifier.uri	http://localhost:8080/xmlui/handle/CUHPOERS/244918
dc.description	This paper argues that legislative malapportionment, denoting a discrepancy between the share of legislative seats and the share of population held by electoral districts, serves as a tool for pre-democratic elites to preserve their political power and economic interests after a transition to democracy. The authors claim that legislative malapportionment enhances the pre-democratic elite s political influence by over-representing areas that are more likely to vote for parties aligned with the elite. This biased political representation survives in equilibrium as long as it helps democratic consolidation. Using data from Latin America, the authors document empirically that malapportionment increases the probability of transitioning to a democracy. Moreover, the data show that over-represented electoral districts are more likely to vote for parties close to pre-democracy ruling groups. The analysis also finds that overrepresented areas have lower levels of political competition and receive more transfers per capita from the central government, both of which favor the persistence of power of pre-democracy elites.
dc.language	English
dc.relation	Policy Research working paper ; no. WPS 5467
dc.rights	CC BY 3.0 IGO
dc.rights	http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/igo/
dc.rights	World Bank
dc.subject	ALLOCATION
dc.subject	BARGAINING
dc.subject	BARGAINING POWER
dc.subject	BICAMERAL SYSTEM
dc.subject	BOND
dc.subject	COLLECTIVE ACTION
dc.subject	COMPARATIVE POLITICAL ECONOMY
dc.subject	COUNTRY FIXED EFFECT
dc.subject	COUNTRY FIXED EFFECTS
dc.subject	COUNTRY RISK
dc.subject	COUNTRY TO COUNTRY
dc.subject	DEMOCRACIES
dc.subject	DEMOCRACY
dc.subject	DEMOCRATIC REGIMES
dc.subject	DEMOCRATIC STATE
dc.subject	DEMOGRAPHIC
dc.subject	DEMOGRAPHIC CHANGES
dc.subject	DICTATORSHIP
dc.subject	ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
dc.subject	ECONOMIC GROWTH
dc.subject	ECONOMIC HISTORY
dc.subject	ECONOMIC PERFORMANCE
dc.subject	ECONOMIC POWER
dc.subject	ECONOMICS
dc.subject	ELECTION
dc.subject	ELECTIONS
dc.subject	ELECTORAL SYSTEM
dc.subject	ELECTORAL SYSTEMS
dc.subject	EMPLOYMENT
dc.subject	FINANCIAL SUPPORT
dc.subject	GDP
dc.subject	GEOGRAPHICAL CONSTITUENCIES
dc.subject	INCOME
dc.subject	INCOME DISTRIBUTION
dc.subject	INSTITUTIONAL ECONOMICS
dc.subject	LEGISLATION
dc.subject	LEGISLATORS
dc.subject	LEGITIMACY
dc.subject	LOBBYING
dc.subject	LOWER HOUSE
dc.subject	LOWER HOUSES
dc.subject	MACROECONOMICS
dc.subject	MOTIVATION
dc.subject	OUTPUT
dc.subject	PARLIAMENT
dc.subject	PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS
dc.subject	PATRONAGE
dc.subject	PEACE
dc.subject	PLEBISCITE
dc.subject	POLITICAL ECONOMY
dc.subject	POLITICAL GROUPS
dc.subject	POLITICAL INFLUENCE
dc.subject	POLITICAL INSTITUTIONS
dc.subject	POLITICAL PARTICIPATION
dc.subject	POLITICAL PARTIES
dc.subject	POLITICAL PARTY
dc.subject	POLITICAL POWER
dc.subject	POLITICAL REGIME
dc.subject	POLITICAL REPRESENTATION
dc.subject	POLITICAL SCIENCE
dc.subject	POLITICAL SUPPORT
dc.subject	PRIVATE SECTOR
dc.subject	PRIVATE SECTOR DEVELOPMENT
dc.subject	PROPERTY RIGHTS
dc.subject	PUBLIC FUNDS
dc.subject	PUBLIC POLICIES
dc.subject	RENTS
dc.subject	REPRESENTATIVES
dc.subject	REPUBLIC
dc.subject	RIGHT TO VOTE
dc.subject	VOTING
dc.subject	WORLD DEVELOPMENT INDICATORS
dc.subject	WORLD ECONOMIES
dc.subject	WORLD ECONOMY
dc.title	Legislative Malapportionment and Institutional Persistence
dc.type	Publications & Research :: Policy Research Working Paper
dc.coverage	Latin America & Caribbean
dc.coverage	Latin America & Caribbean
dc.coverage	The World Region
dc.coverage	The World Region