New research explores how voters in Romania assess different forms of political corruption during the 2016 local elections. A conjoint experiment embedded within a survey revealed citizens' tolerance varies significantly based on politicians' activities and their impact on voter autonomy.

🔍 Data & Methods

Conducted via candidate choice experiment prior to Romanian local elections in 2016, randomly varying attributes including different illicit electoral activities presented to voters.

📊 Key Findings

• Citizens penalize political malfeasances differently depending on how much they infringe upon voter autonomy.

• Informational campaigns from prosecutorial agencies influence punishment severity for various corrupt acts.

• Voters appear more accepting of certain types of corruption than others when making trade-offs between candidates.

💡 Real-World Significance

The results challenge simplistic views of electoral accountability and illuminate nuanced dynamics in democratic systems where voters often face compromises.