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. 🗼