Crossing Party Lines: Effect of Information on Elections

Using data from the recent elections in Sierra Leone, Katherine Casey investigates how access to better information influences the choices of voters and the strategies of political parties. She finds that better-informed voters are more likely to cross ethnic lines to vote for candidates. This makes it more difficult for parties to predict election results and forces them to spread resources more evenly across jurisdictions. Casey’s results suggest that better access to information could encourage parties to invest more in presenting high-quality candidates and  provide resources to areas outside the most tightly contested jurisdictions.

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