Abstract
We examine the link between the political participation of the young and fiscal policies in the U.S. We generate exogenous variation in participation using the passage of preregistration laws, which allow the young to register before being eligible to vote. After documenting that preregistration promotes youth enfranchisement, we show that preregistration shifts state government spending toward higher education, the type of spending for which the young have the strongest preference. A 1% increase in youth voter turnout generates a 0:77% increase in higher education spending. The results collectively suggest political responsiveness to the needs of the newly enfranchised constituency.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 76-106 |
| Number of pages | 31 |
| Journal | American Economic Journal: Economic Policy |
| Volume | 12 |
| Issue number | 3 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 01 Aug 2020 |
Keywords
- Education Expenditure, Political Responsiveness, Preregistration, Voter turnout, Youth Enfranchisement.
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Economics, Econometrics and Finance(all)
Access to Document
- Youth Enfranchisement, Political Responsiveness, and Education Expenditure: Evidence from the U.S.
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The impact of increased youth voter turnout on fiscal policy: Evidence from the US
Dimico, A., Bertocchi , G., Lancia, F. & Russo, A.
07/12/2017
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