I Don’t Like It Unless It’s for Me : Voters’ Perceptions of Pork-Barrel Politics in Central and Eastern Europe
| Authors | |
|---|---|
| Year of publication | 2022 |
| Type | Article in Periodical |
| Magazine / Source | Problems of Post-Communism |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| Web | article - open access |
| Doi | http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10758216.2021.1914111 |
| Keywords | Pork barrel politics; experiment; Czech Republic; Slovakia; distribution |
| Attached files | |
| Description | Public resources are often allocated neither effectively nor equitably, and they serve as a tool for securing re-election. Despite compelling evidence for pork-barrel politics, little is known about voters’ perceptions of this practice. Moreover, limited findings from Western countries are also contradictory - voters perceive such a strategy both positively and negatively. To contribute with findings from Central and Eastern Europe (CEE), we conducted two survey experiments - in Czechia and Slovakia - which randomized people’s exposure to fairness of the distribution and profit for the respondent’s country. Our results suggest that once voters realize their profit from pork-barrel politics, they are less critical of unfair distributions of resources and the responsible decision-maker. |
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