Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/299937 
Year of Publication: 
2024
Series/Report no.: 
IZA Discussion Papers No. 17009
Publisher: 
Institute of Labor Economics (IZA), Bonn
Abstract: 
Do young politicians prioritize other types of municipal spending than old politicians? We study this question using hand-collected candidate-level data on municipal elections (1996-2020), along with detailed administrative data on municipal spending in Bavaria. Our identification strategy makes use of within-party candidate-level races for marginal seats. Our findings indicate that municipalities with a higher proportion of young councilors allocate more resources to social spending. Further analysis reveals that this social spending increase is primarily driven by the expansion of public child care. Exploring mechanisms, we find evidence suggesting that young councilors affect policy choices in- directly through between- and within-party bargaining.
Subjects: 
young and old politicians
political selection
municipal spending
local councils
JEL: 
D72
D78
H70
H72
J13
J14
Document Type: 
Working Paper

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