Citizens aren't always aware of government performance because politicians can't fully control bureaucrats.
This article argues that citizens don't know if a good government outcome means the politician is skilled or just lucky, since they lack power over policy.
The Problem: Citizen Confusion
- Citizens struggle to gauge an incumbent's quality based on policy outcomes when politicians cannot fully control bureaucrats.
- Government performance becomes ambiguous as it may reflect either political skill or bureaucratic influence.
Uganda Survey Experiment
- We tested this theory using survey experiments with nearly 9,000 Ugandan citizens and local officials.
- Respondents showed they blame politicians less for government performance when bureaucrats are perceived as powerful. 🚫
- They were more likely to attribute good outcomes solely to the politician if he had complete power over policy.
The Result: Diminished Accountability Effects
- This lack of clear attribution weakens how citizens hold incumbents accountable in elections.❛
- When respondents believed bureaucrats held significant responsibility, they expected less influence from government performance on their voting decision. 🗼
