This study investigates prejudice and discrimination among Brazilian legislative candidates using field experiments. Data & Methods Researchers conducted two large-scale field experiments simulating contact with voters before the 2010 election cycle and afterward for the same politicians. Voters were randomly assigned fictitious socioeconomic statuses or partisan affiliations. Key Findings Candidates who were socioeconomically privileged or politically competitive displayed equal responsiveness to underrepresented voters prior to the election compared to other groups.
However, after securing office, these highly incentivized candidates showed significantly lower responsiveness rates, suggesting strategic behavior shifts once electoral stakes are won.
This nuanced finding demonstrates that while political ambition may drive initial responsiveness, it does not necessarily translate into sustained equitable engagement post-election.
